Hindi cinema is marking the centenary of Raaj Kumar, the actor remembered above all for the way he spoke his lines. The Hindu published a centenary appreciation this week.
Quick Facts
| Occasion | Birth centenary |
| Before films | Police inspector |
| Notable films | Mother India (1957), Ujala (1959), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965), Vaasna (1968), Pakeezah (1972), Saudagar (1991) |
| Co-star in Saudagar | Dilip Kumar |
A Presence Like No Other
The appreciation recalls a film launch in Mumbai in May 1994, at which Raaj Kumar made what it calls a regal entrance and was the first to greet the poet Kaifi Azmi with due respect.
An Honest Assessment
The Hindu’s writer does not claim he was the finest actor of his time. He was not, the piece says, a classic performer like Ashok Kumar or Balraj Sahni, nor as versatile as Dilip Kumar.
He did not succeed as a conventional romantic hero. Panchayat (1958) is cited as an early failure in that mould.
Where He Excelled
His strength lay elsewhere. Films such as Mother India, Ujala, Dil Ek Mandir, Kaajal and later Pakeezah gave him strong dialogue, and he made the most of it.
The Late Triumph
In 1991 he appeared opposite Dilip Kumar in Saudagar, bringing together two of the most distinctive voices in Hindi cinema.
From Police Station to Film Set
Raaj Kumar worked as a police inspector before entering films. He remained close to the director Chetan Anand, who had helped him early in his life.
Source: The Hindu (October 2026).
Featured image: Palace Talkies in Byculla, Mumbai, one of the city’s old single-screen cinemas (illustrative photo; no free photograph of Raaj Kumar was available). Photo by Rudolph A. Furtado, licensed under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.