Raj Kumar, the police inspector who found himself doing movies, was a show stealer. He might not have been the biggest star, but believed in giving power packed roles. He became such a dominant force that actors like Dilip Kumar refused to work with him. Raj Kumar carried many films on his shoulders.
In his first film, B R Films' 'Paigaam', he sidelined an actor of Dilip Kumar's caliber. He believed in his acting and had no qualms in playing the role of Nargis' husband in 'Mother India'. Similarly, in many other films also, though his roles were not that lengthy, he was able to make his presence felt in them. This superb actor had many films like 'Pakeezah', 'Kaajal', 'Dil Ek Mandir' and 'Waqt' where his co-stars had to sideline themselves because of his heavy presence. Mostly he worked with the likes of Meena Kumari, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra, Sunil Dutt and later on Nana Patekar. There are some films like 'Tiranga' where he gave his co-stars an inferiority complex. It was the biggest treat for the audiences when Subhash Ghai brought the two maestros - Raj Kumar and Dilip Kumar - together for the film 'Saudagar'. They had come together nearly after three decades and each one tried to out-perform the other. The outcome was pure entertainment.
Though there were few films of his, Raj Kumar was able to chisel out a place for himself in the history of Indian cinema and his son Puru too is trying to make his presence felt nowadays.
