Biography

Rajendra Kumar Biography: Age, Birthday, Early life, Career, Awards, Honours, Personal Life, Death Anniversary

In a career spanning four decades, he appeared in more than 80 films beginning in 1949.

Rajendra Kumar Biography: Rajendra Kumar (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was a Bollywood cinema actor from India. In a career spanning four decades, he appeared in more than 80 films beginning in 1949. During the 1960s, when he starred in a number of commercially successful films, he was commonly referred to as “Jubilee Kumar.”

Additionally, he produced a number of films starring his son Kumar Gaurav. In 1970, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri.

Rajendra Kumar Biography

Early Years

Rajendra was born on July 20, 1927, to a Punjabi-speaking Tuli family in Sialkot, British India (now Pakistan).

In 1950, at the age of 23, Rajendra received his first opportunity in ‘Jogan’, following the turbulent years of partition. As Nargis Dutt’s son, he achieved prominence in the 1957 film “Mother India”

He went on to star in numerous films, the majority of which were successful, and earned the moniker ‘Jubilee Kumar’.

Rajendra Kumar Career

Rajendra Kumar was born in Sialkot, Punjab province, British India, to a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family. In Karachi, Sindh, British India, his ancestor was a successful military contractor and his father owned a textile business. During the Partition of India, the family was required to abandon their land and possessions and relocate to India. When they arrived in Bombay, Kumar determined to enter the Hindi cinema industry. He accepted an assistant position with director H. S. Rawail because he never desired to be a hero. During nearly five years, he assisted Rawail on films such as Patanga, Sagai, and Pocket Maar.

During this period, he made his film début with a cameo appearance in the 1949 film Patanga, followed by a small role in Kidar Sharma’s 1950 film Jogan, opposite Dilip Kumar and Nargis. Producer Devendra Goel spotted Kumar in Jogan and gave him his first opportunity in 1955 with Vachan. Kumar was paid only 1,500 rupees for the film, but it was a success and Kumar’s first silver jubilee film, for which he was granted the title ‘A star is Born’. In 1957, he portrayed the son of Nargis’s character in Mehboob Khan’s blockbuster epic film Mother India, which brought him additional success. His first significant success as a romantic leading man was in the 1959 musical Goonj Uthi Shehnai, co-starring Ameeta and directed by Amit Saxena.

In the 1960s, Kumar rose to fame. Six or seven of his films had run for more than 25 weeks (known in India as a “silver jubilee film”) at the same time, earning him the nickname “Jubilee Kumar”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), Suraj (1966), and Gora Aur Kala (1972) were among his box office successes. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performances in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), and Arzoo (1965), as well as Best Supporting Actor for Sangam (1964). He also starred alongside Saira Banu in K. Asif’s unfinished film Sasta Khoon Mehanga Paani.

Beginning in 1969, he confronted competition from Rajesh Khanna, and many of his films were unsuccessful. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he shifted to portraying characters. In 1978, he was offered a character in the successful film Saajan Bina Suhaagan opposite Nutan. He also appeared in several Punjabi films, including Do Sher and Teri Meri Ik Jindri.

Rajendra introduced his son Kumar Gaurav in the 1981 film he produced and starred in, Love Story. The film was deemed a box office smash. With the exception of the 1986 film Naam, in which his son co-starred with Sanjay Dutt, Rajendra produced a few other films starring his son, but none of them were as successful as Love Story. His last film was Phool, released in 1993, which also performed poorly. In 1995, he played his final acting roles in the television series Andaz and Vansh.

Personal Life

He married Shukla Behl, a sister of Ramesh Behl and Shyam Behl and an aunt of their sons Goldie Behl and Ravi Behl.[9] Together, they had a son and two daughters. Additionally, his son Kumar Gaurav had a limited acting career. His daughter Dimple married film producer Raju Patel in Hollywood. Manorama, his sister, was married to the Indian film producer O. P. Ralhan. His junior sibling was the filmmaker Naresh Kumar.

Kumar acted alongside Sunil Dutt and Nargis in the 1957 film Mother India, in which Dutt and Kumar portrayed Nargis’s offspring. He had a special relationship with Dutt and would actively campaign for him whenever he ran for office. Dutt was quoted as saying, “Even though Rajendra Kumar never won an award in his entire career, he was one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met. When I was experiencing difficulties related to the arrest of my son Sanjay Dutt and my home was being repeatedly searched by numerous police raids, Rajendra Kumar came to my aid by staying at my home and ensuring that the raids were conducted in accordance with the law and that no false evidence was planted or valuables were stolen. Kumar and Raj Kapoor were such close friends that Kumar’s son, Kumar Gaurav, was betrothed to the latter’s daughter, Reema. However, their alliance disintegrated after their children called off their engagement and Kumar Gaurav wed Sunil Dutt and Nargis’s daughter Namrata.

Dara Singh Biography: Age, Birthday, Early Life, Career, Awards, Personal life, Death Anniversary

Rajendra Kumar Death

On July 12, 1999, a day after his son’s 43rd birthday and eight days before his 72nd birthday, he perished at the age of 71, despite his refusal to take any medication. Sleep-related cardiac arrhythmia caused his death.

Honours

  • Kumar on an Indian stamp from 2013
  • In 1970, Rajendra Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri Award.
  • In addition, he was appointed Honorary Justice of the Peace and Honorary Magistrate.
  • The late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru awarded him the National Honour simultaneously for the films Kanoon (Hindi) and Mehndi Rang Lagyo (Gujarati).
  • He received the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and was involved in a number of charitable initiatives.

Rajendra Kumar Awards

In 1964, 1965, and 1966, Rajendra Kumar was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for three consecutive years. In 1965, he additionally received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Eric Joseph Gomes

Seasoned professional blog writer with a passion for delivering high-quality content that informs, educates, and engages readers.

Recent Posts

Married Student Loan Borrowers: Will Payments Rise for You Due to New Policy?

SAVE plan suspension affects American students, affecting married borrowers' monthly payments on federal student loans,…

4 hours ago

SNAP Benefits Income Limit 2025: What a Family of 6 Needs to Qualify

SNAP program provides monthly payments to people with income, ensuring they can afford groceries, based…

4 hours ago

Free In-Flight Wi-Fi on American Airlines Starting 2026

American Airlines is introducing free high-speed Wi-Fi on over two million flights starting January 2026,…

13 hours ago

April Social Security: Who Will Get Their Social Security Check on Wednesday, April 23, 2025?

Social Security payments are scheduled for Wednesdays throughout the month, with those born between the…

14 hours ago

Student Loans in Forbearance? Here’s Why It’s Happening

Forbearance temporarily suspends student loan payments, providing a temporary break for those experiencing financial difficulties.

1 day ago

Social Security 2026 COLA Update: New Prediction Says 2.3% Increase Likely

TSCL predicts a 2.3% increase in the COLA for 2026, slightly higher than their previous…

2 days ago