- Born
- Died
- Birth nameKulbhushan Pandit
- Height1.74 m
- Kulbhushan Pandit, also known as Raaj Kumar, was a distinguished Indian actor renowned for his unique dialogue delivery.
Kumar completed his education and joined as a Sub-Inspector with the Bombay Police in the late 1940s. Although he began his career in law enforcement, his passion for acting led him to the film industry.
Kumar debuted as an actor in 1952 with the movie Rangili (1952). He appeared in the 1957 Oscar-nominated film Mother India (1957) before going on to star in more than 70 Hindi movies throughout a four-decade career.
Kumar gained recognition for his breakthrough in the 1957 film Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957), in which he played the role of Prince Naushazad. He was noted for portraying unglamorous and gritty characters, such as his role as a mill worker in Paigham (1959).
One of his most memorable performances, for which he bagged a Filmfare Award under the category of Best Supporting Actor, was his role as a cancer patient in Dil Ek Mandir (1963).
He also starred in movies like Waqt (1965), Heer Raanjha (1970), Pakeezah (1972), and more.
For a time after that, between the late 70s and early 80s, he worked in films that did not do very well before he made a successful comeback with Kudrat (1981). He went on to act in films like Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Itihaas (1987), Marte Dam Tak (1987), Mahaveera (1988), and more.
Kumar married Jennifer Pandit, an Anglo-Indian who worked as an air hostess. They had three kids: Vastvikta Pandit, his daughter who made her acting debut in 2006, and sons Panini Rajkumar and Puru Rajkumar, who both became actors.
Raaj Kumar and Dilip Kumar, with whom he had acted in Paigham, reunited on screen in Subhash Ghai's Saudagar (1991) in 1991 after 32 years. Tirangaa (1993) was his final hit movie, and God and Gun (1995) was the last film he acted in.
Kumar succumbed to throat cancer and passed away on July 3, 1996.- IMDb mini biography by: official_review
- SpouseGayatri Kumar (3 children)
- ChildrenVastavikta Rajkumar
- ParentsJagdishwar Nath PanditDhanraj Rani Pandit
- RelativesSurendra Kaul(Cousin)Pavan Kaul(Niece or Nephew)Arjun Pandit(Niece or Nephew)Mahindernath Pandit(Sibling)Anand Babi Pandit(Sibling)Jeevanlal Pandit(Sibling)Suresh Pandit ( Garment factory owner in Banglore)(Sibling)Arun Pandit(Niece or Nephew)
- Overstretched, harsh throat voice.
- Frequently played senior authority figures with a royal link in their backgrounds.
- His reputation of being difficult to work with.
- After the release of Mother India, Raaj Kumar was a overnight superstar sensation. One evening he and his friend director Prakash Aurora and his wife were out for a evening drive. Raaj Kumar pulled up to a local paan store to eat a paan. While standing there with his friend, a few men gathered around and started to heckle Raaj Kumar and bother him. Finally Raaj Kumar could not take it anymore and major fight broke out . At the end of it, one man lay dead and Raaj Kumar was arrested. The trial lasted a year and Raaj Kumar was acquitted of all charges. Raaj Kumar's police background was said to be one of the deciding factors that helped Raaj Kumar.
- Father in law of Croatian Model Koraljka Grdak (Puru Rajkumar's wife).
- Son Panini finally made his acting debut in 2010 with Milenge Milenge.
- Was a policeman before he started acting
- Filmography is often mixed up with South Indian actor " Raj Kumar" and another " Raj Kumar" who acted mythological movies in the black and white era.
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