Rajendra Kumar.
Many people achieve stardom in the entertainment world, but managing it is no less than a tough job. Just one mistake can cause the downfall of any actor. There have been many actors who became superstars and later got lost in the darkness of oblivion. One such actor gave 7 consecutive blockbuster films and became a jubilee star, but suddenly the circumstances changed so much that he went bankrupt. The actor we are talking about came to India with only 50 rupees in his pocket at the time of partition and made his place in the hearts of the audience. However, his stardom did not last long and soon after becoming bankrupt, he had to sell his bungalow for a nominal price. This actor is none other than Rajendra Kumar.
I came to Mumbai with 50 rupees
Rajendra Kumar is considered one of the most successful actors of Bollywood. Starting his career in the year 1949, he worked in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was known as Jubilee Kumar in the 1960s. This was due to his back to back blockbuster films. Rajendra Kumar lived in Sialkot in the Punjab province of British India. However, during the partition, his family had to leave all their ancestral property and come to India. When Rajendra Kumar got a chance to step into the world of acting, he had only Rs 50, which he bought by selling his father’s watch. He did not even have money to buy a train ticket and he lived in a guest house by renting a trench.
This film made him a superstar
He started his career with small roles in films like ‘Patanga’ and ‘Jogan’. The film ‘Vachan’ brought him recognition. This was followed by Mehboob Khan’s epic drama film ‘Mother India’, which was also a big hit at the box office. He then gave seven consecutive blockbusters and by the 1960s he became a superstar. With consecutive hits from 1960 onwards and many of his films running for at least 25 weeks (silver jubilee), Rajendra Kumar earned the title of Jubilee Kumar.
Rajendra Kumar.
These are the successful films of the actor
Some of his blockbuster films include ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, ‘Aai Milan Ki Bela’, ‘Mere Mehboob’, ‘Aas Ka Panchhi’, ‘Gharana’ and many more. However, his stardom did not last long. ‘Mazdoor Zindabad’ not only received poor critics ratings, but the film also failed at the box office. He went on to star in films like ‘Daku Aur Mahatma’, ‘Shirdi Ke Sai Baba’, ‘Sone Ka Dil Lohe Ke Hath’, ‘Aahuti’, ‘Saajan Bina Suhagan’ and ‘Bin Ferey Hum Tere’, all of which did well at the box office.
bungalow had to be sold
There was also a time when the actor went bankrupt and had to sell his bungalow to Rajesh Khanna. While the market value of the bungalow was much higher, he reportedly sold it for just Rs 3.5 lakh. He refused to take any medicine and died in 1999 at the age of 71, just a day after his son’s 43rd birthday and just 8 days before his 73rd birthday. He died of a heart attack in his sleep.
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