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Raaj Kumar

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For other actors with the same name, see Rajkumar.

Raaj Kumar
Kumar in Aabshar c. 1953
Born
Kulbhushan Pandit

(1926-10-08)8 October 1926
Loralai, Baluchistan, British India
(present-day Balochistan, Pakistan)
Died3 July 1996(1996-07-03) (aged 69)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
Occupations
Years active1952–1995
EmployerBombay Police
SpouseGayatri Kumar
Children3 (including Puru Raaj Kumar)

Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 – 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films.[1] In a career that spanned over four decades, he went on to star in 70 films and is regarded as one of the most successful actors of Indian cinema.[2]

Personal life

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Kulbhushan Pandit was born on 8 October, 1926 in Loralai in the Baluchistan Province of British India (now in Pakistan) into a Kashmiri Pandit family.[3][4] In the late 1940s, he moved to Bombay, where he became a sub-inspector under Bombay Police.[5] In the 1960s, he married Jennifer Pandit, an Anglo-Indian, whom he met on a flight where she was an air hostess. She later changed her name to Gayatri Kumar as per Hindu customs.[3] They had three children, sons Puru Raaj Kumar (an actor), Panini Raaj Kumar and daughter Vastavikta Pandit, who made her screen debut in 2006 film Eight: The Power of Shani.[6]

Career

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1952-1959: Early career and breakthrough

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Raaj Kumar began his career with Rangeeli in 1952 and followed it with Anmol Sahar (1952), Aabshar (1953), Ghamand (1955), most of which sank without a trace. He got his breakthrough in 1957 with Mehboob Khan's epic drama Mother India.[7] The film emerged an All Time Blockbuster at the box office and also the most successful film of the 1950s.[8] It went on to win several accolades and was also featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[9][10]

The widespread success of Mother India was followed by another blockbuster in 1959 with S. S. Vasan's social drama Paigham which had Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead.[11] Kumar received praise for his performance of a caring elder brother and got a nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[12]

1960-1969: Rise to prominence

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Kumar in Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960)

Kumar began the new decade with Kishore Sahu's romantic drama Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai.[13] The film proved to be a box office superhit with one of its song "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh" sung by Lata Mangeshkar becoming a chartbuster.[14] In 1961, he appeared alongside Rajendra Kumar and Asha Parekh in Gharana.[15] A remake of Telugu blockbuster Shanthi Nivasam, the film proved to be equally successful in Hindi and emerged a superhit at the box office.[16] After an absence lasting a year, he reunited with Rajendra Kumar and Meena Kumari for C. V. Sridhar's romantic drama Dil Ek Mandir.[17] It opened to highly positive response from audience and went on to become a superhit with Kumar receiving Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.[18] His other major release of the year, Phool Bane Angaare also did reasonably well at the box office.[19] In 1964, he once again worked with Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in Ramanand Sagar's second directional venture Zindagi.[20] The film opened to positive response and added one more box office hit in his kitty.[21]

After many years of doing supporting roles, Raaj Kumar became a saleable star in 1965 with Yash Chopra's ensemble masala film Waqt and Ram Maheshwari's romantic drama Kaajal.[22][23] Both the films opened to thunderous response from audience and went on to become blockbusters.[24] For portraying a sophisticated thief in Waqt, Kumar won massive acclaim and his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[25] His performance in Kaajal was also appreciated and he received his first and only nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Actor category for the film.[26] Kumar's other notable release of the year was Phani Majumdar's drama film Oonche Log co-starring Ashok Kumar and Feroz Khan.[27] The film received positive reviews from critics and won National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film in Hindi.[28] After having no release in 1966, the following year, he reunited with makers of Waqt for the suspense thriller Hamraaz.[29] The film proved to be a major critical and commercial success, eventually emerging a blockbuster and winning National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.[30][31] One of its song, "Neele Gagan Ke Tale", sung by Mahendra Kapoor and filmed on Kumar and Vimi proved to be an instant hit and won Kapoor his second Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer.[32] He also reunited with C. V. Sridhar (the director of Dil Ek Mandir) for the multi-starrer social drama Nai Roshni, but contrary to expectations, it flopped critically and commercially.

He concluded the decade with two biggies - Mere Huzoor and Neel Kamal.[33][34] While the former alongside Jeetendra and Mala Sinha did moderately well, the latter co-starring Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman was a blockbuster and one of the top five highest grossing films of 1968.[35] For portraying a soul longing for his lost love in Neel Kamal, Kumar received his fifth and final nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[36]

1970-1980: Continued success and setback

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The early 70s saw Kumar appearing in some of his most iconic films.[37] His only release of 1970 was Chetan Anand's romantic musical Heer Raanjha opposite Priya Rajvansh.[38] It opened to highly positive reviews from critics and emerged a box office hit.[39] The soundtrack of Heer Raanjha composed by Madan Mohan was a chartbuster with a Mohammed Rafi solo - "Yeh Duniya, Yeh Mehfil Mere Kaam Ki Nahin" becoming a rage among the masses.[39] The success of Heer Raanjha was followed by Lal Patthar and Maryada in 1971.[40][41] While, Lal Patthar in which he got paired with Hema Malini was an average fare, Maryada opposite Mala Sinha and co-starring Rajesh Khanna proved to be a superhit.[42] In 1972, Kumar appeared in Kamal Amrohi's magnum opus Pakeezah which also had Meena Kumari (in her final film appearance) and Ashok Kumar in the lead.[43] Despite receiving polarizing reviews and being a slow starter, it went on to become a massive blockbuster at the box office and gained cult status in later years.[44] Its soundtrack composed by Naushad dominated the musical charts and was the eighth best selling Hindi film album of the 1970s.[45]

Post-Pakeezah, Kumar saw a decline in his career and had a string of flops in P. Madhavan's action drama Dil Ka Raaja (1972), Chetan Anand's war drama Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973), Raj Tilak's crime thriller 36 Ghante (1974), Brij's action comedy Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976) and Ram Maheshwari's dacoit drama Chambal Ki Kasam (1980).[46] His only hit during this phase was another of Ram Maheshwari's film Karmayogi (1978) co-starring Jeetendra, Mala Sinha, Rekha and Reena Roy.[47][48]

1981-1995: Comeback and later career

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After almost a decade of downturn, Kumar returned to success in 1981 with Esmayeel Shroff's crime thriller Bulundi.[49] The film received positive response from critics and proved to be a surprise hit at the box office.[50] That same year, he also appeared in Chetan Anand's reincarnation drama Kudrat alongside Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini and Priya Rajvansh.[51] Despite having blockbuster music and a huge star cast, Kudrat flopped commercially.[52][53] In 1982, he reunited with Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra for Sultan Ahmed's successful actioner Dharam Kanta.[54] This was followed by another series of commercial duds in Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Sharara (1984), Raaj Tilak (1984), Itihaas (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), Mohabbat Ke Dushman (1988), Saazish (1988) and Mahaveera (1988).[55] During this phase, Kumar remained steady with a superhit in Mehul Kumar's Marte Dam Tak (1987).[56]

In 1989, he reunited with Mehul Kumar and Esmayeel Shroff for the actioners Jungbaaz and Suryaa: An Awakening, respectively.[57][58] While the former co-starring Govinda was a hit, Suryaa alongside Vinod Khanna went a step ahead and emerged a superhit, thus ending Kumar's dry run at the box office.[59] He began the following decade with another of Esmayeel Shroff's film, the crime thriller Police Public (1990).[60] An adaptation of Malayalam blockbuster Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), it was a successful venture in Hindi as well.[61] In 1991, Kumar reunited with his Paigham co-star Dilip Kumar after 32 years for Subhash Ghai's action drama film Saudagar.[62] The film emerged a box office superhit and also proved to be the highest earner of the year.[63]

In 1993, Kumar starred alongside Nana Patekar in Mehul Kumar's magnum opus, the patriotic action drama Tirangaa (1993).[64] Tirangaa opened to excellent response all over the nation and emerged a blockbuster at the box office.[65] It also proved to be the last box office success of Kumar as his later films like Betaaj Badshah (1994), Jawab (1995) and God and Gun (1995) (which was also his final film appearance) were critical and commercial failures.[66]

Death

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Kumar died at the age of 69 on 3 July 1996 from throat cancer.[67][68] According to his son Puru Raaj Kumar in his interview to Farhana Farook, his father suffered from Hodgkins for which he had undergone chemotherapy. The last two years of his life were bad with the nodes recurring in the lungs and ribs.[69]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1952 Rangeeli N/A
Anmol Sahara N/A
1953 Aabshar N/A
1955 Ghamand N/A
1957 Krishna Sudama N/A
Mother India Shyamu
Nausherwan-E-Adil Shehzada Naushazad / Joseph
Neelmani N/A
1958 Dulhan Mohan
Panchayat Mohan
1959 Durga Mata N/A
Paigham Ram Lal Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Shararat Suraj
Ardhangini Prakash
Swarg Se Sundar Desh Hamara N/A
Ujala Kalu
1960 Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai Dr. Sushil Verma
1961 Gharana Kailash
1963 Dil Ek Mandir Ram Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Godaan Hari
Phool Bane Angaare Captain Rajesh
Pyar Ka Bandhan Kalu
1964 Zindagi Gopal
1965 Waqt Raja Chinnoy (Raju) Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Kaajal Moti Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Oonche Log Inspector Shrikant
Rishte Naate Sundar
1967 Hamraaz Captain Rajesh
Nai Roshni Jyoti Kumar
1968 Mere Huzoor Nawab Salim
Neel Kamal Chitrasen Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Vaasna Kailash Chander
1970 Heer Raanjha Ranjha
1971 Lal Patthar Bahadur Gyan Shankar Rai
Maryada Raja Babu / Raj Bahadur
1972 Pakeezah Salim Ahmed Khan
Dil Ka Raaja Raja Raghupati Singh / Raju[a]
1973 Hindustan Ki Kasam Rajib
1974 36 Ghante Editor Ashok Rai
1976 Ek Se Badhkar Ek Shankar
1978 Karmayogi Shankar / Mohan[a]
1980 Chambal Ki Kasam Thakur Suraj Singh
1981 Bulundi Professor Satish Khurana
Kudrat Choudhary Janak Singh
1982 Dharam Kanta Thakur Bhawani Singh
1984 Ek Nai Paheli Upendranath
Raaj Tilak Samadh Khan
Sharara Dharamveer Singh Pathan
1987 Itihaas Joginder Singh
Marte Dam Tak Sub Inspector Rana
Muqaddar Ka Faisla Pandit Krishnakant
1988 Mohabbat Ke Dushman Rehmat Khan
Saazish Kailash
Mahaveera DSP Karamveer / Don
1989 Desh Ke Dushman Sher Khan
Jungbaaz Advocate Krishna Prasad Saxena
Galiyon Ka Badshah Ram / Raja
Suryaa: An Awakening Collector Rajpal Chauhan
1990 Police Public CBI Inspector Jagmohan Azad
1991 Saudagar Thakur Rajeshwar Singh
1992 Police Aur Mujrim Police Commissioner Veer Bahadur Singh
1993 Insaniyat Ke Devta Jailor Rana Pratap
Tirangaa Brigadier Suryadev Singh
1994 Betaaj Badshah Raja Prithviraj
Ulfat Ki Nayee Manzilen Raj
1995 Jawab Ashwini Kumar Saxena
God And Gun Sahib Bahadur Rathore

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Kumar played two characters.

References

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  1. ^ "Raaj Kumar—Bollywood prince left the police force to live a king-sized life in his white shoes". 8 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Remembering Raaj Kumar: 10 facts about the veteran Bollywood actor". 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Purru Raaj Kumar: Dad was Bizzare [sic] But Never Boring". iDiva.com. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Raaj Kumar Birth Anniversary". 8 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Remembering Raaj Kumar: 10 facts about the veteran Bollywood actor". India Today. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Raaj Kumar's daughter VASTAVIKTA debuts - bollywood news : glamsham.com". glamsham.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  7. ^ Chatterjee, Gayatri (2002). Mother India. British Film Institute. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-85170-917-8.
  8. ^ "Gadar 2 - The Katha Continues Is A Colossal Motion Picture".
  9. ^ "5th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. pp. 2–3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Best sellers". The Sunday Telegraph. 18 April 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  11. ^ "Legend Dilip Kumar Passes Away At 98". Box Office India. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Filmfare Nominees and Winner [sic]" (PDF). The Times Group. Retrieved 16 September 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ Mahmood, Hameeduddin (1974). The kaleidoscope of Indian cinema. Affiliated East-West Press. p. 213.
  14. ^ Bharatan, Raju (25 December 1988). "The Last Mughal". The Illustrated Weekly of India. Vol. 109. pp. 50–53.
  15. ^ Narasimham, M. L. (31 December 2015). "Santhinivasam (1960)". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Worth Their Weight in Gold! | Box Office India : India's premier film trade magazine | Bollywood news, reviews, interviews, box office collection". Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  17. ^ Mahaan, Deepak (29 January 2010). "Dil Ek Mandir (1963)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  18. ^ Interview marathon of Kutty Padmini | Chai with Chithra | Touring Talkies Special. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Box Office (1963)". Archived from the original on 22 September 2012.
  20. ^ Guy, Randor (15 December 2012). "Vaazhkai Padagu 1965". The Hindu.
  21. ^ "Box Office 1964". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  22. ^ Chopra, Anupama (2007). King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema. Grand Central Publishing. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-446-57858-5.
  23. ^ Deepak Mahaan (19 November 2012). "Kaajal (1965)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Top Actors". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 19 February 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Filmfare Awards (1966)". The Times of India.
  26. ^ "Filmfare Nominees and Winner [sic]" (PDF). The Times Group. Retrieved 16 September 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  27. ^ "Oonche Log (1965)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  28. ^ Ranjan Das Gupta (1 May 2009). "Oonche Log (1965)". The Hindu.
  29. ^ "Hamraaz (1967)". The Hindu. 15 April 2010.
  30. ^ "15th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  31. ^ "From Dilip Kumar's Ram Aur Shyam To Manoj Kumar's Patthar Ke Sanam – Top Box Office Grossers Of 1967".
  32. ^ "Filmfare Awards 1968". The Times of India.
  33. ^ Bharatan, Raju (1 September 2010). A Journey Down Melody Lane. Hay House, Inc. pp. 175–. ISBN 978-93-81398-05-0.
  34. ^ Neel Kamal. Netflix.
  35. ^ "Box Office 1968". Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
  36. ^ "Filmfare Awards Winners from 1953 to 2020".
  37. ^ "Best Raaj Kumar Movies". 7 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Heer Raanjha (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  39. ^ a b "Heer Raanjha (1970) – Unique film in Verse! (a film review)". Passion for Cinema website. 18 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  40. ^ Lokapally, Vijay (26 May 2016). "Lal Patthar (1971)". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  41. ^ "Maryada (1971)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  42. ^ "Akshay Kumar Has A Historic Year". 8 January 2020.
  43. ^ "Pakeezah (1972)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  44. ^ "You Asked It - Can Race 3 Do 300 Crore Plus?". 24 May 2018.
  45. ^ "Music Hits 1970-1979". Box Office India. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  46. ^ "Uniform row". The Times of India. 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  47. ^ "Trade Guide Classification - 1978".
  48. ^ "When Raaj Kumar Replaced Feroz Khan In This 1978 Multi-Starrer Film". 31 January 2024.
  49. ^ "Bulundi (1981)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  50. ^ "Boxofficeindia.com". 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  51. ^ "Kudrat (1981)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  52. ^ "Music Hits 1980–1989". Box Office India. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  53. ^ "The Afterlife of Kudrat". 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  54. ^ "Film Information Classification 1982".
  55. ^ "On This Day: Dance Dance v Mr. India v Muqaddar Ka Faisla".
  56. ^ "Trade Guide Classification 1987".
  57. ^ "Jungbaaz (1989)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  58. ^ "These power-packed memorable dialogues of Vinod Khanna will make you relive those beautiful times". Bollywood Hungama. 29 April 2017.
  59. ^ Vinod Khanna Passes Away, Box Office India, 27 April 2017
  60. ^ "Police Public - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  61. ^ "Sethurama Iyer is coming back!". The Times of India. 20 April 2012.
  62. ^ "Saudagar". The Hindu. 4 July 2002. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  63. ^ "The Top Actor Of 2020 - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  64. ^ "Tirangaa". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  65. ^ "Blockbusters Of Twenty-Five Years (1973-1997)". 13 October 2023.
  66. ^ "Raaj Kumar (Filmography)".
  67. ^ Dhawan, M. L. (29 June 2003). "Remembering A Legend". The Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  68. ^ Singh, Kuldip (6 July 1996). "Obituary Raaj Kumar". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  69. ^ Farook, Farhana (21 February 2013). "Dad Was Bizarre But Never Boring". news-entertainment. iDiva.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
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