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Raaj Kumar

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Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person

Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 Template:Endash 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He worked as a police officer before entering the film industry. 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Kulbhushan Pandit was born on October, 1926 in Loralai in the Baluchistan Province of British India (now in Pakistan) into a Kashmiri Pandit family.<ref name="iDiva.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the late 1940s, he moved to Bombay, where he became a sub-inspector under Bombay Police.<ref name="India Today 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="iDiva.com"/> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CareerEdit

1952–1964: Early career and breakthroughEdit

Raaj Kumar began his career with Rangeeli in 1952 and followed it with Anmol Sahar (1952), Aabshar (1953), Ghamand (1955), none of which could establish him. After many years of struggle, he got his breakthrough with Mehboob Khan's epic drama film Mother India (1957).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It opened to critical acclaim and emerged an All Time Blockbuster at the box office as well as the most successful film of the 1950s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It went on to win several accolades and was featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The huge box office success of Mother India was followed by another blockbuster in S. S. Vasan's social drama film Paigham (1959), which had Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kumar received praise for his performance of a caring elder brother and got a nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Kumar began the new decade with Kishore Sahu's romantic drama Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1961, he appeared alongside Rajendra Kumar and Asha Parekh in Gharana.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A remake of Telugu blockbuster Shanthi Nivasam, the film proved to be equally successful in Hindi and emerged a superhit at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After an absence lasting a year, he reunited with Rajendra Kumar and Meena Kumari for C. V. Sridhar's romantic drama Dil Ek Mandir.<ref name="thehindu">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref> His other major release of the year, Phool Bane Angaare also did reasonably well at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1964, he once again worked with Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in Ramanand Sagar's second directional venture Zindagi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film opened to positive response and added one more box office hit in his kitty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1965–1979: Continued successEdit

After many years of doing second leads, Raaj Kumar became a saleable star in 1965 with Yash Chopra's ensemble masala film Waqt and Ram Maheshwari's romantic drama Kaajal, both of which opened to massive response from audience and went on to become blockbusters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For portraying a sophisticated thief in Waqt, Kumar won massive acclaim and his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.<ref name=TOI>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kumar's other notable release of the year was Phani Majumdar's drama film Oonche Log co-starring Ashok Kumar and Feroz Khan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film received positive reviews from critics and won National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film in Hindi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After having no release in 1966, the following year, he reunited with makers of Waqt for the suspense thriller Hamraaz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="15thawardPDF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 did not performed well. He concluded the decade with two biggies - Mere Huzoor and Neel Kamal.<ref name="Bharatan2010">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Neel Kamal. Netflix.</ref> While the former co-starring Jeetendra and Mala Sinha did moderately well, the latter alongside Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman was a superhit and one of the top five highest grossing films of 1968.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Filmfare>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The early-1970s saw Kumar appearing in some of his most iconic films.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His only release of 1970 was Chetan Anand's romantic musical Heer Raanjha opposite Priya Rajvansh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It opened to highly positive reviews from critics and emerged a box office hit.<ref name=pc>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=pc>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The success of Heer Raanjha was followed by Lal Patthar and Maryada in 1971.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its soundtrack composed by Naushad dominated the musical charts and was the eighth best-selling Hindi film album of the 1970s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Kumar then appeared in films, Dil Ka Raja (1972), Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973) and 36 Ghante (1974), all three of which flopped at the box office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This changed with Brij Sadanah's's action comedy film Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976), alongside Ashok Kumar, Navin Nischol and Sharmila Tagore. The film performed very well at the box office and was also remade in Telugu as Mugguru Muggure.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1978, Kumar reunited with Jeetendra and Mala Sinha for Ram Maheshwari's action drama film Karmayogi in which he played a double role.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It opened to positive response from critics and emerged a superhit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1980–1995: Career slump, comeback and final worksEdit

Kumar began the 1980s with Ram Maheshwari's dacoit drama Chambal Ki Kasam, which sank without a trace.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1981, he had two releases, out of which, Esmayeel Shroff's crime thriller Bulundi proved to be a moderate fare while Chetan Anand's reincarnation drama Kudrat alongside Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini and Priya Rajvansh was a critical and commercial failure.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1982, he reunited with Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra for Sultan Ahmed's successful actioner Dharam Kanta.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was followed by a series of critical and commercial duds in Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Sharara (1984), Raaj Tilak (1984), Itihaas (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), Mohabbat Ke Dushman (1988), Saazish (1988), Mahaveera (1988) and Jungbaaz (1989).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During this phase, Kumar remained steady with superhits in Mehul Kumar's Marte Dam Tak (1987) and Esmayeel Shroff's Suryaa: An Awakening (1989).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Kumar began the 1990s with another of Esmayeel Shroff's film, the crime thriller Police Public (1990).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An adaptation of Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), it performed well commercially and went on to become a box office hit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following year, he reunited with his Paigham co-star Dilip Kumar for Subhash Ghai's action drama film Saudagar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film emerged a blockbuster and took 1st spot at the box office in 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its soundtrack composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal was a chartbuster and the fourth best-selling Hindi film album of that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1993, Kumar starred alongside Nana Patekar in Mehul Kumar's magnum opus, the patriotic action drama Tirangaa (1993).<ref name="Bollywood Hungama">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tirangaa opened to excellent response all over the nation and proved to be another blockbuster for the actor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also the final box office success of Kumar as his later films like Betaaj Badshah (1994), Jawab (1995) and God and Gun (1995) (which was his last film role) were critical and commercial failures.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DeathEdit

Kumar died at the age of 69 on 3 July 1996 from throat cancer.<ref name="Dhawan M.L.">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Singh Kuldip">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Farhana Farook">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FilmographyEdit

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 / RajuTemplate:Efn
1973 Hindustan Ki Kasam Rajib
1974 36 Ghante Editor Ashok Rai
1976 Ek Se Badhkar Ek Shankar
1978 Karmayogi Shankar / MohanTemplate:Efn
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

Awards and nominationsEdit

LegacyEdit

Kumar is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. Noted for his dialogue delivery and style, he enthused writers to conceive larger-than-life characters to suit his image as a personality suffused with wit and sarcasm.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His catchphrase "Jaani" and white shoes (first featured in the film Waqt) evolved to be an extension of his personality.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kumar is referred to as the "Prince of Bollywood" due to his fiercely independent spirit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, he was placed in Outlook IndiaTemplate:'s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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