Raaj Kumar and Dilip Kumar, the two legends of Hindi cinema, were first paired together in 1959 in Ramanand Sagar’s family drama Paigham.
The movie had a scene in which there was a scuffle between Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar’s characters. By that time, Dilip had become a superstar, whereas Raaj was comparatively a new name, but in the film, Raaj essayed the role of Dilip’s elder brother.
As per the script, Raaj Kumar was supposed to slap Dilip Kumar, in one of the scenes. During the shoot, Raaj slapped Dilip so hard that the latter was left absolutely stunned. After this, the shoot came to a halt. While Dilip Kumar was not injured, he was extremely upset with Raaj Kumar’s behavior and vowed never to work with him again.
It was only three decades later that Subhasgh Ghai brought them together for the 1991 family drama Saudagar. When the filmmaker was asked how did he pull off this casting coup, he told News18 in 2024, “Whether it is Dilip Kumar or Raaj Kumar, or even the generation that followed, Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan, you have to understand that actors are like children, and the director is their mother. One child can be studious, the other can be naughty, but a mother handles each of them, doesn’t she? Directors are like mothers. Actors are insecure.”
“The director’s job is to smile, and let the actor feel that they are the most important person in the world, as long as I get my shot. It was the same issue in Saudagar. When I found out that Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar weren’t on good terms, I used only one formula. I would tell Dilip saab that Raaj saab was praising him, and I would tell Raaj saab that Dilip saab was praising him. So, when they came together, they’d meet with positivity, and the job would get done”, Ghai further added.
Saudagar, which also starred Vivek Mushran, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Deepti Naval, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover, and Dilip Tahil among others, went on to become a blockbuster. Its album also became hugely popular with three chartbuster songs including Ilu Ilu, Imli Ka Boota, and Saudagar Sauda Kar.