Rajendra Kumar (1927-1999) was an Indian actor and producer. He has acted in the films Patanga (1949), Vachan (1955), Mother India (1957), Maa Baap (1960), Do Sholay (1977), Rustom (1982), and Phool (1993). The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri Award in 1970. Rajendra Kumar passed away at the age of 71 years due to cardiac arrest.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Rajendra Kumar Tuli was born on Wednesday, 20 July 1927 (age 71 years; at the time of death) in Sialkot, Punjab province, British India (now Punjab, Pakistan). His zodiac sign is Cancer. He attended the Hailey College of Commerce in Lahore; however, his education was cut short in his second year during the Partition. Before getting into acting, Rajendra Kumar worked as an assistant to the director H. S. Rawail, who tried to convince him that he was not cut out for acting, criticism that Rajendra Kumar rose against. [1]The Print
Rajendra Kumar with H. S. Rawail and Raaj Kumar
In 1975, Rajendra Kumar built a theatre within his residential property and named it Dimple Theatre, a venture that turned out to be successful.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
Rajendra Kumar was born into a wealthy Punjabi Hindu Khatri family in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan. His family had to leave its wealth and property behind during the partition and move to India, where they lived in shared accommodation in Delhi’s Subzi Mandi.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Lakshmichand Tuli (deceased), was born into a family of great wealth and had a textile business in Karachi. His mother’s name is Vidyawati. He is the oldest sibling with two sisters, Manorama, and Kamla, and a younger brother Naresh Kumar, who is a film director.
Wife & Children
His wife, Shukla Kumar, belongs to the Behl family, a prominent family in the Hindi film industry. They two got married on 5 December 1954. He has two children, a son, Kumar Gaurav, who is an actor and a businessman, and two daughters, Dimple Kumar who went on to marry Raju Patel, a Hollywood film producer and director, and Kaajal Tuli.
Rajendra Kumar with his wife Shukla Kumar
Rajendra Kumar with his wife Shukla and three children
Other Relatives
Rajendra’s grandfather Chajuram Tuli was one of the wealthiest men in Sankhatra, Sialkot (present-day Pakistan), and was a military contractor.
Relationships/Affairs
Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu were on-screen partners who were reported to be in a romantic relationship as well. The two acted in films such as Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), Aman (1967), and Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968). Saira Banu was reported to have fallen head over heels in love with Rajendra and it was him that she wanted to marry despite him having a wife and children. Her feelings were allegedly reciprocated and Rajendra was ready to leave his family behind for Saira Banu. Saira’s mother begged Dilip Kumar to intervene which is how Saira and Dilip ended up getting married. In a book based on his life, Jubilee Kumar: The Life And Times of a Superstar, Rajendra Kumar stated that the two actors did not have any “wrong relations” even though they liked each other. [2]News18
Rajendra Kumar with co-star Saira Banu
Signature/Autograph
Rajendra Kumar’s autograph
Career
Film
Rajendra Kumar started his journey into the film industry with a cameo in Patanga (1949).
The album cover for the film Patanga (1949)
He then played a small role along with revered actors Dilip Kumar and Nargis Dutt in the film Jogan (1950). This role got him noticed by director and producer Devendra Goel, who cast Rajendra as the lead in the film Vachan (1955).
Rajendra Kumar on the poster of his first film as a lead- Vachan (1955)
This film brought him success and was his first (among several) Silver Jubilee film. His role in the film Mother India (1957) furthered his success.
Rajendra Kumar in the film Mother India (1957)
The films he starred in during the 1960s were what brought him fame and status as a star. At times, he had six or seven movies running for over 25 weeks simultaneously in theatres, which earned him the nickname “Jubilee Kumar.” He acted in numerous successful movies that became popular at the box office. Some of these include Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Kanoon (1960), Gharana (1961), Aas Ka Panchhi (1961), Sasural (1961), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Mere Mehboob (1963), Sangam (1964), Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), Zindagi (1964), Arzoo (1965), and Suraj (1966). He also acted in the Punjabi films Do Sher (1974) and Teri Meri Ik Jindri (1975).
Rajendra Kumar on the poster of the film Do Sher (1974)
Television
Rajendra Kumar acted in the Television shows Andaz (1995) in which he acted in a singular episode and Vansh (1995).
Producer
Except for The Train (1970), Rajendra Kumar exclusively produced films featuring his son in the lead role. The film Love Story (1981) in which Kumar Gaurav was introduced went on to become a blockbuster.
Rajendra Kumar’s son Kumar Gaurav in the film Love Story (1981)
His next blockbuster as a producer came with the movie Naam (1986) starring his son Kumar Gaurav and Sanjay Dutt.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Rajendra Kumar was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1970
- Rajendra Kumar was given the esteemed Justice of Peace title and fulfilled the role of an Honorary Magistrate.
- Rajendra received a National Honor from Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru for his films Kanoon (Hindi) and Mehndi Rang Lagyo (Gujarati film) at the same time.
- Rajendra Kumar was honoured with a distinctive Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in 1999.
Death
Rajendra Kumar passed away on 12 July 1999 at the age of 71 years due to cardiac arrest at his residence in Mumbai. According to sources, he had undergone a 10-month-long treatment in the US for falling haemoglobin. Despite being prescribed medications, he reportedly did not take any medicine as a result of which his condition deteriorated. [3]India Today
Facts/Trivia
- Rajendra Kumar used to be best friends with Raj Kapoor and Rajendra’s son Kumar Gaurav was engaged to Raj’s daughter Reema. However, once the engagement broke, so did the friendship between the two veteran actors.
Rajendra Kumar with past best friend Raj Kapoor
- In early 1949, Rajendra Kumar was offered a job as an assistant sub-inspector in Delhi which he refused in order to pursue his dreams of being an actor at the urging of his friend Raj Kumar.
- Rajendra Kumar earned the nickname “Jubilee Kumar” owing to the number of films that reached the status of silver and golden jubilee.
- Jubilee Kumar: The Life and Times of a Superstar by Seema Sonik Alimchand is a biography of Rajendra Kumar.
- Rajendra Kumar had a curious variety of pets which included a cow, six dogs, a monkey and a deer.
Rajendra Kumar on the cover of a Times of India publication with his pets
- Rajendra enjoyed playing tennis.
- While Rajendra Kumar’s career spanned only two decades, he has starred in about 70 films.
- Although director H. S. Rawail tried to stop Rajendra Kumar from acting, he had tears in his eyes and told Rajendra that he was very proud after watching Vachan (1955).
- Director Zia Sarhadi once replaced Rajendra Kumar in a film and “shooed him from his doorstep” when Rajendra turned to him for help. Then in 1956, while working with producer Mehboob Khan on a film for which Zia Sarhadi was the director, Zia was fired the same way he fired Rajendra Kumar.
- A commemorative stamp was issued in 2013 to honour Rajendra Kumar Tuli with a face value of Rs. 5.
Rajendra Kumar Tuli on a commemorative stamp released in 2013
