The late actor Rajkumar was renowned for his powerful voice and regal demeanor. Among the many famous anecdotes about him, one particularly stands out involving actor Govinda. Govinda once gifted him a shirt, which Rajkumar later transformed into a handkerchief.
Rajkumar was born on October 8, 1926, in Balochistan (now in Pakistan) to a Kashmiri Pandit family. His real name was Kulbhushan Pandit. He led a simple life in his childhood and later moved to Mumbai in search of work. Before entering films, he served as a sub-inspector in the Mumbai police. He was known for his strict and honest demeanor, but fate had other plans, leading him to the film industry.
It is said that filmmaker Baldev Dubey visited a police station for work, where he met Rajkumar. Impressed by their conversation and Rajkumar’s confidence, Dubey offered him a role in his film ‘Shahi Bazaar.’ Eager to pursue acting, Rajkumar resigned from his job and embarked on his film career.
His first film, ‘Rangili,’ was released in 1952. Initially, he did not achieve significant success, but he persevered. He later starred in memorable films like ‘Mother India,’ ‘Pakeezah,’ ‘Waqt,’ ‘Heer Ranjha,’ ‘Saudagar,’ and ‘Tiranga.’ Gradually, he became one of the strongest actors in Hindi cinema, acting in nearly 70 films throughout his career.
One of the most famous stories from his life involves Govinda. During the shooting of the film ‘Jangbaz,’ Govinda gifted Rajkumar a beautiful shirt. He expected Rajkumar to wear it, but when he arrived on set days later, he was astonished to find that Rajkumar had cut the shirt into a handkerchief.
Throughout his long career, Rajkumar received numerous awards. He was honored with Filmfare Awards for his performances in films like ‘Dil Ek Mandir’ and ‘Waqt.’ He was consistently praised for his powerful roles and acting skills.
In his later years, Rajkumar battled throat cancer, which affected his voice. He passed away on July 3, 1996, at the age of 69.