Raaj Kumar's Unwavering Conviction: No Regrets In Entering Films

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Join us for an interview with Raaj Kumar, the iconic Indian actor. He shares his insights and stories, offering a glimpse into his remarkable journey on and off the screen. Don't miss this opportunity to hear his wisdom and authenticity firsthand.

Transcript

00:00It's not like Hollywood is making a bad movie or anything.

00:05I used to think about beautiful women, now I just look at them and smile.

00:11I didn't fail in the movie challenge, that's why I'll get a lakh.

00:15Regrets I've never known in life.

00:23Rajkumar sir, how did you take your first step in the film world?

00:29That was a strange thing, I was in the police force.

00:33There was a J.P. in front of the police, Mr. Khan.

00:38Now he's called the Executive Magistrate, he was known as Justice of Peace.

00:43He had a brother named Ali, he knew a few people in the film industry.

00:48So he always asked me to come to the film industry and see what it was.

00:52Unfortunately, I didn't watch movies.

00:56I didn't like movies, and I still don't.

01:03He introduced me to K.B. Lal.

01:07He was one of the most famous people of his time.

01:10He was not only famous for his movies, he had other reasons too.

01:14He had a personality.

01:17At that time, he was an S.U. Sunny.

01:20He liked the pictures, so he took them to his office.

01:26Mr. Lal took my pictures with the help of his assistant.

01:31He used to put his hand on my waist and make me spin in the famous studio.

01:36I told him, don't put your hand on my waist, you'll fall on the floor.

01:41The story is different.

01:44At that time, Najam Naqvi was collecting donations for a mosque or a school.

01:50He saw Sunny's pictures and came to the police station.

01:55That's how my film industry started.

02:01Have you ever regretted your decision?

02:06Oh no, I don't regret.

02:08Regrets I've never known in life.

02:11I've never known defeat.

02:14I've never been enraptured by victory.

02:19I'm at a level of ecstasy.

02:23Mr. Lal, you've done a lot of films and played a lot of roles.

02:28Except for Barson, I've done very few.

02:33Is there a particular role that comes to your mind?

02:39No.

02:41Each role that I do,

02:44I did justice to it within the given context.

02:49So, I never thought that I'd fail in that.

02:52Pictures may have failed.

02:54I remember my pictures used to fail and my price used to go up by one lakh.

02:58My secretary used to ask me,

02:59Rashid, the pictures didn't work, you're increasing it by one lakh.

03:02I said, if the pictures don't work, I won't fail.

03:04That's why the price increased by one lakh.

03:07That's why I'm telling you.

03:11When you started working in films,

03:14and the films that are made today,

03:17what was the change in them?

03:21Mr. Parivartan, the change is that,

03:23in those days, films were made less,

03:26theatres were less,

03:27audiences were naturally less,

03:28because the population was less.

03:31And in those days,

03:33we had the impression of Hollywood.

03:37In those days, films were made well,

03:39there were stories,

03:40the classic novels were picturised.

03:43Accordingly, here,

03:45the pictures that were made,

03:46they usually had a social purpose.

03:51Now, because our social purpose has become weak,

03:54the world has become weak,

03:56not just for us Indians.

03:58That is, Hollywood is making very bad films,

04:00it's not like they're not making them.

04:02Do you understand?

04:03So, that's the change,

04:05that's the change.

04:07That's the change.

04:09Is there a role that you haven't done yet,

04:12that you want to do?

04:16In our country, the total role,

04:18perhaps,

04:20no actor has got it yet,

04:22what is called the total role,

04:24the total play of human personality,

04:28physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

04:32So,

04:33according to that,

04:34there is a lot that we haven't been able to do yet,

04:36and perhaps,

04:37it will come in our way,

04:38which we won't be able to do yet.

04:41What do you say?

04:42Rajkumar has been such a successful film actor,

04:45has he ever thought of going behind the camera?

04:48No, not at all.

04:50I was saying that to go behind the camera,

04:53a person needs a special quality,

04:55a special trait,

04:57a special temperament,

04:58which I don't have.

05:00It's not because

05:01I don't consider myself worthy of it.

05:03I know that it's just a matter of direction.

05:05But along with direction,

05:07the director has to go through so many stages.

05:10And especially if he is a producer,

05:12his responsibilities increase so much

05:14that he can't do anything special.

05:18I mean, I think,

05:19what I am saying,

05:22your intentions can be something else.

05:28Rajkumar sir,

05:29would you like to tell us about

05:30any of the great names in the Indian film industry

05:34you have particularly admired?

05:36As directors, producers, actors, or what?

05:38That's right.

05:39All of them.

05:40As all of them.

05:41As actors, who are the actors you have admired?

05:44Apart from yourself.

05:47I have respected myself,

05:49not admired.

05:51Similarly, I have respected

05:53a couple of other artists.

05:56Raj Kapoor in his own way.

05:59Dave in his own way.

06:01Dilip in his own way.

06:05Ashok Kumar in his own way.

06:08And in college days, I remember,

06:10we used to go to movies once a month.

06:12Moti Lal,

06:14Saigal,

06:16Jagdish Sethi,

06:17Prithviraj Kapoor.

06:20And,

06:21about the present,

06:23I hear from my children that

06:26I need a good actor.

06:29Do they have a screen presence or not?

06:31I have no idea.

06:34But,

06:35they tell me he's a good actor.

06:38Apart from movies,

06:39what do you think about, Raj Kumar?

06:41I used to think about beautiful women,

06:43now I just look at them,

06:44and smile.

06:47And, sir,

06:50I love the open sky.

06:53I don't stay in this hotel,

06:54I stay as per his orders.

06:56Otherwise, I stay in Ashoka,

06:57because there is a balcony there.

06:58If you go to the balcony,

06:59you can see the sky,

07:00you can see the greenery.

07:03And,

07:04I like the sea and the river.

07:07I like the heights of the mountains.

07:09Do you fulfill your hobbies?

07:11Yes, sir, I do it very badly.

07:13Even now, I do it 100% or 50%.

07:18Raj Kumar sir,

07:19the transition from black and white films

07:21to color films.

07:22I never give any thought to those propositions.

07:25I never bother about the technicality of movie making,

07:27because

07:30that is not my field.

07:31I don't have to know

07:32how far,

07:33what is 40 lens and 50 lens and 60 lens.

07:35No.

07:37I was telling you about Mr. S.S. Vasant.

07:41He used to tell me,

07:42that, Raj, well,

07:44I don't have to know what a lens is and all that.

07:46For that, I hire a cameraman.

07:49My job is to tell him,

07:50this much, this much, this much I want.

07:53From here to there, I want.

07:55And,

07:57he was one of the brilliant movie makers.

08:01And he was a person who did his matriculation,

08:03cycled down to Madras,

08:06bought the press,

08:07going for about 300 to 500 rupees.

08:09Became the first person to seek permission

08:11from the Viceroy of India to sell papers

08:13in the running trains.

08:14They were not allowed before that.

08:17And, then, as he grew up,

08:20he started going to the races,

08:21and there was a horse by the name of Gemini,

08:24who used to lose in the races.

08:26He bought it. He said, I'll make him win.

08:27He made him win.

08:29Went to the extent that he bought a studio

08:30and named it as Gemini Studios.

08:33He was a short man, but a very great man.

08:35He grew to heights.

08:38He was very fond of me.

08:39I was very fond of him.

08:41Once, we were talking to each other,

08:42and he said,

08:43do you know you're talking to the great Vasant?

08:46And,

08:48but he loved me.

08:50And he was a great man.

08:52Mahbub Khan was a great man.

08:54There were not only

08:56actors and producers.

08:57As men, they were great.

08:59Men of worth and men of honor.

09:01And that's what interests me in human beings.

09:04How do you assess your own contribution

09:07to the Indian film industry?

09:08No, I'm not contributing much

09:10because I'm not a social worker.

09:13I've not been one.

09:14Except that,

09:16to the extent that I'm honest to myself

09:17within my field,

09:19to that extent, I'm contributing to the society

09:21of which I'm a part.

09:23Did you understand what I mean?

09:24Yeah.

09:25If you clean your own house,

09:27you have to keep the whole neighborhood clean.

09:39Well, I'll be somewhere in heaven.

09:42And what they think of me,

09:43I won't bother about it.

09:45I won't bother about it.

09:46No.

09:47People say,

09:48and we all know

09:49that you're a very good film actor.

09:51You're a wonderful father to your children.

09:53You're a family man.

09:55Who are you?

09:57I didn't understand.

09:59You yourself have said what I am.

10:00I'm a family man.

10:01I'm a good father.

10:03Who is the real Rajkumar?

10:05The real Rajkumar

10:07is not one.

10:08He's many.

10:10He's different when he's sitting.

10:12He's different perhaps when he's sitting in a chair.

10:15He's different when he's outside the room.

10:16He's different when he's inside the room.

10:19But there's only one integrated factor

10:21and that's character.

10:22That doesn't alter.

10:24Other things change.

10:27I wish we had enough time

10:28to meet all the Rajkumars

10:30but we'll have to be satisfied

10:31with this integrated call.

10:34May I say thank you very much.

10:36I must thank you very much

10:37for interesting questions.

10:38And I must tell you

10:39you have a very good voice,

10:40a very good face,

10:42an interesting mind.

10:48Rajkumar

10:50Rajkumar

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