Raaj Kumar’s Death Anniversary: He was an enigma till the very end. He dressed in the most bizarre ways with most of his clothes designed by himself. He could even make suits made of curtain cloth and attend the most high-fashioned parties in Mumbai. Raaj could wear gold earrings and bracelets made of diamond – Ali Peter John

Raaj Kumar had his own way

He had a collection of wigs and pipes and cigars from different parts of the world. Raaj Kumar had his own way of speaking in real life and didn’t care about what people said. He wanted to be paid in cash (only) and in the denomination of notes which he selected according to his moods. He could take an auto to a studio, but would not travel in any other car or anyone’s car except for his old Elymoth and Dodge cars for which he had only one chauffeur called Pandit Ji who was always dressed in white khadi with a Gandhi Topi and who was treated by him and his family like one of them. In the eighties, he had started his second lease of life in films with some of the most ambitious films like “Jungbaaz”, “Marte Dum Tak”, “God and Gun” and “Saudagar” in which he worked with Dilip Kumar after they last worked in “Paighaam” made in the South.

Raaj Kumar: During the shooting of “Saudagar”

It was during the shooting of “Saudagar” that his eccentricities reached a new high when he tried to take over the film from the director Subhash Ghai and even Dilip Kumar. It was also during the shooting of “Saudagar” that he showed the first signs of having problems with his voice which was the highlight of his personality. His health worsened and there were about his being struck by cancer of the throat. He had still to complete his work in “Saudagar” and Subhash Ghai was a very disturbed man. He kept quiet for some time but one day in a very diplomatic way asked him if the rumours he had heard were true.

The great Rajkumar kept reciting the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’

The Raajkumar paused for a minute took a deep puff at his pipe (he was asked to keep away from smoking completely) and told Ghai, “Jaani, Raajkumar marega toh koi sardi zukham ya koi mamooli bimari se thodi na marega, Raajkumar Cancer jaisi shaandar bimari se hi marega na”. His answer stunned Ghai, but seeing Ghai’s condition, he told Ghai, “Darro mat,Jaani, main tumhari film poori karke hi marunga. Abhi waqt baaki hai” and he kept his promise and completed Ghai’s film. The Cancer kept spreading and he was finally confined to bed in his huge but old-fashioned bungalow on the Worli sea face. One evening, his condition worsened and he, the great Rajkumar kept reciting the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ all through the night and passed away in the early hours of the morning. The news of his unexpected death reached the industry only around three pm. All shootings and other activities were canceled and crowds of people rushed to his bungalow, but little did they know that the king of eccentricities could be eccentric in enigmatic even in death.

Raajkumar looked like a dead Raajkumar

He did not want anyone to know how Raajkumar looked like a dead Raajkumar. He had asked his people to take him to the Shivaji Park electric crematorium and cremate him before anyone in the industry or the media would come to know about his death. I was very fortunate to know the eccentric Raajkumar during the last eight years of his life, which made me know the real Raajkumar who was a very well-educated, learned and very gentle man his only problem was that he could not tolerate fools or people who tried to take advantage of him. He was one of the greatest enigmas who gave me the permission and all the opportunities to serve the enigma and know that all his eccentricities were just one great act.

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