Veteran Bollywood actor Raaj Kumar was best known for his dialogue “apke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai, inhe Zameen par mat utariyega, maile ho Jayenge.” Also, he was known for delivering dialogues prefixed with a “Jaani”.
Raaj Kumar made his acting debut in the 1952 film Rangili and appeared in films like Aabshar, Ghamand and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi’s Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957) that he became famous. In 1957, he achieved prominence with his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India.
On his 93rd birth anniversary, Here’s looking at lesser-known facts about Raaj Kumar:
- Raaj Kumar was born as Kulbhushan Nath Pandit.
- Before he became an actor, he was an IAS Sub-inspector in the Mumbai Police in the late 1940s.
- He once went to watch a film at Metro cinema. There, veteran filmmaker Sohrab Modi saw him and offered him a film. He refused the offer.
- Raaj Kumar turned to acting career with the 1952 film Rangeeli.
- He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film Mother India and went onto star in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over four decades.
- Raaj Kumar won a Filmfare Award in the Best supporting actor category for his role as a cancer patient in the movie Dil Ek Mandir.
- Raaj Kumar and Dilip Kumar shared screen space in the movie Saudagar after 30 years. However, it is well-known that during the shooting of the film they never talked to each other except for their scenes.
- He was not the first choice for the movie Pakeezah (1972). Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Dharmendra had been considered for the role earlier.
- Known for his outspoken nature, he allegedly refused Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer because he didn’t like ‘the director’s face’.’
Raaj Kumar died of throat cancer at the age of 69 on July 3, 1996.
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