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.
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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