Biography

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.