Raaj Kumar, born Kulbushan Pandit (8 October 1926– 3 July 1996), was an Hindi film actor. Raaj Kumar started out as sub-inspector of Mumbai Police in the late 1940s before he turned to acting 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.

 

Personal life

 

Raaj Kumar was born as an Kulbhushan Pandit in Loralai, Balochistan, Pakistan,  into a Kashmiri Pandit family. He had two sisters. In the late 1940s he moved to Mumbai, India where he became Sub-inspector of the Mumbai Police. He married Gayatri in the 1960s with whom he had three children, two sons named Puru Raajkumar (a Bollywood actor), Panini Raajkumar and a daughter named Vastavikta Raajkumar, who made her screen debut in 2006 film Eight: The Power of Shani.

 

Career

 

Raaj Kumar started his career as an Inspector at Mahim police station, Mumbai. It is said that he never saluted his senior officers. Later he turned to movies.

Raaj Kumar was noticed in his earlier films like Rangeeli, Aabshar, Ghamand, and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi’s Naushervan-e-Adil that he became famous. In his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India, he achieved prominence. He followed this with the unglamorous role of a mill worker in Paigham. He was cast with Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Balraj Sahni in B.R. Chopra’s Waqt. In Sridhar’s Dil Ek Mandir, Raaj Kumar essayed the role of a cancer patient.

He also won the Filmfare Award in Best supporting actor category for movies Dil Ek Mandir and Waqt.

From his screen debut in Rangeeli to God & Gun, his played memorable characters in 60-odd films.

 

Death

 

He died at the age of 69 on July 3, 1996 of throat cancer. He died a few months before his son Puru Raajkumar made his debut in Bal Brahmachari, which was released later that year. It was dedicated to his memory.