1957 में आई फिल्म की शुरुआत में मरा हीरो, हीरोइन के दम पर हुई ब्लॉकबस्टर, फिर भी सुपरस्टार बना ये कश्मीरी पंडित

Mumbai. Late actor Rajkumar was such a star of Hindi cinema, whose name is still taken with great respect and love. He was not only famous for his powerful voice and acting, but was also known for his outspokenness and honesty. One specialty of Rajkumar was that he was very strict regarding the dialogues of his films. If he did not like any dialogue, he would change it in front of the camera. He always worked on his own terms.

Rajkumar was born on 8 October 1926 in a Kashmiri Pandit family in Loralai, Balochistan. His real name was Kulbhushan Pandit. His family had come to Bombay (now Mumbai). Earlier he started working as Sub Inspector in Mumbai Police. However, his heart was attached to the film industry long ago. One day film producer Baldev Dubey came to the police station and was so impressed by Rajkumar’s natural style and conversation that he gave him a chance to work in his film ‘Shahi Bazaar’. Rajkumar immediately left the police job and entered the world of films.

His film journey was not easy. Initially he played many small roles. His first film ‘Rangili’ came in 1952, but he got real recognition from Mehboob Khan’s film ‘Mother India’ in 1957. In this film, Rajkumar played the role of a farmer, which touched the hearts of the audience. After this he worked in many superhit films, like ‘Heer Ranjha’, ‘Tiranga’, ‘Marte Dum Tak’, ‘Saudagar’, and ‘Pakeezah’. His voice, style of speaking dialogues and way of acting were the special attractions of his films.

Nargis and Raj Kumar in the poster of the film Mother India. (Photo courtesy: Prime Video)

Rajkumar used to get the dialogues changed

Another example of his outspokenness in Rajkumar’s films was his attitude of changing dialogues. Many times, when he felt that the dialogues of the film were not right or did not suit his image, he would talk to the director and writer on the set itself and get them changed. He believed that the artist should have the right to play his character in a better way. This was the reason why there was a special flavor and power in his dialogues. It was Rajkumar’s honesty and confidence that made his films memorable.

Raj Kumar died of throat cancer

Rajkumar received many awards during his career. He has received many honors for his contribution to films, including several prestigious Filmfare Awards. There was that depth and simplicity in Rajkumar’s acting, which made him one of the biggest stars of his time. He was a rough and tough hero on screen, but in real life too he was an equally clean hearted person. Along with success, there were many challenges in Rajkumar’s life. His last days were spent battling throat cancer. He left the world on July 3, 1996 at the age of 69.