Raaj Kumar

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and actor Sohrab Modi, who was impressed by his regal personality and his golden baritone. At time Modi was planning a movie Nausherwan-E-Adil and Raaj Kumar suited to a perfect ‘T’ to play the Prince Naushazad. Hence Modi offered him the role but Raaj Kumar declined the offer humbly. Sohrab Modi postponed his film. Time passed and due to unavoidable circumstance Raaj Kumar quit his Police job and joined films. His first film was Rangili (1952) which went unnoticed and his other films too failed miserable. When he was in crises filmmaker Mehboob Khan gave him a small yet important role in his film Mother India. The movie was hit. Sohrab Modi, who had postponed his film Nausherwan-E-Adil once again, approached him and this time Kumar agreed. The movie was hit and soon his popularity began to echo in Bollywood. Raaj Kumar slap’s Dilip Kumar … becomes Star No, do not take it seriously. Raaj Kumar did not slap thespian Dilip Kumar in ‘Real’ life but in ‘Reel’ on screen. The film was S.S. Vasan’s Paigham (1959) staring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Saroja Devi, Motilal and Raaj Kumar. In this film Raaj Kumar played (Ram) the elder brother of Dilip Kumar, who is a poor mill- worker. In contrast Dilip Kumar (Ratan), his younger brother, is an educated Engineer, who gets employment of an Engineer in the same mill where Raaj Kumar works. But tension between the brothers arise when Dilip Kumar raises his voice against the exploitation of the workers and becomes the union leader and takes on the capitalist owner of mill. This anger Raaj Kumar and in fist of fury he slaps Dilip Kumar. Legend has it that when the scene was being shot Raaj Kumar inadvertently slapped Dilip Kumar on his face for real! There was chaos on the set as Dilip Kumar was a superstar and Raaj Kumar was just a rising star. Nevertheless Dilip Kumar took it sportingly and appreciated Kumar for flowing into the character and losing his senses. But the media added more ‘spice’ to the episode and wrote sensational stories thus making Raaj Kumar a star overnight! Four decades later filmmaker Subhash Ghai brought the two legends together in Saudagar (1991) and reaped a rich harvest. Raaj Kumar proves his versatility as an actor in Dil Ek Mandir Raaj Kumar got the opportunity to display his talent to the utmost in director C V Sridhar's emotional love triangle Dil Ek Mandir (1963), in which he portrayed the role of a cancer patient who is counting his days in a hospital. However one day he is surprised to find that the doctor treating him is his wife’s ex-boyfriend. Instead of losing temper he plans a safe future for his wife by asking the doctor to merry his wife after his death! What makes Raaj Kumar’s character superlative is his depiction of sorrow though his wide eyes that pour pathos and pangs of his pain. His emotional choked voice and his effortlessness in which he delivers his lines are just majesty. The famous dialogue from the film that brings tears to eyes was - Doctor, jis baat ka faisla ho chuka us sey ghabrana kya aur darna kya. Such sunanay ki Taaqat mujh mein hai. Mera dil itna kamzor nahin...” He deservedly won his First Filmfare award for his marvelous role. He became stereotype in somber roles After the mega success of Dil Ek Mandir, Raaj Kumar was flooded with similar kind of somber roles. Movies like Neelkamal (1968), Mere Huzoor (1968), Lal Patthar (1971), Maryada (1971), Pakeezah (1972) did good business but bored by somber roles Raaj Kumar in the mid 70’s changed his image and did a variety of roles that were romantic, action hero and even villain. Films like Ek Se Badh Kar Ek, Karmayogi, Bulundi, Kudrat, Dharam Kanta etc. But the high point of all these roles was that he remained the main protagonist and the lead actor. Distributors bought film on his name and not on his role!!! His association with filmmaker Mehul Kumar In the late 80’s when Raaj Kumar had gone into oblivion due to a string of flop films like Ek Nai Paheli, Raaj Tilak, Sharara, Itihaas, the filmmaker he who gave him a new lease of life was Mehul Kumar (Who made Nana Patekar hit film Krantiveer). Mehul Kumar in an interview said, “When he wrote the script of Marte Dam Tak (1987), the only actor he could think who could justify Police Inspector Rana was Raaj Kumar but industry people told many stories about his eccentricity but I gave a deaf ear and approached him. To my surprise he liked the script and we went on to make three hit films Marte Dam Tak, Jung Baaz (1989) and Tirangaa (1992).