Fame in the entertainment industry is too fragile and a single mistake can lead to the downfall of an actor. Many actors who became superstars later faded into obscurity. One such actor who made seven consecutive blockbusters later went bankrupt.
The actor we are talking about here came to India during the partition with just Rs 50 in his pocket and made a place in the hearts of the audience. However, his fame was short-lived and soon he had to sell his bungalow below the market value after going bankrupt. He is none other than Rajendra Kumar.
Rajendra Kumar is considered to be one of the most successful actors in Bollywood. He started his career in 1949 and acted in more than 80 films in a career that spanned over four decades. In the 1960s, when he acted in several commercially successful films, he was popularly known as “Jubilee Kumar”.
Rajendra Kumar used to live in Sialkot in the Punjab province of British India, but during partition, the family had to leave all their ancestral properties and move to India. When Rajendra Kumar got an opportunity to enter the world of acting, he had only 50 rupees, which he acquired by selling his father’s watch. He did not even have money to buy train tickets and lived in a guest house by renting a trench.
He started his career with small roles in films like Patanga and Jogan, but it was the film Vachan that made him famous. This was followed by Mehboob Khan’s epic drama film Mother India, which was also a huge success at the box office. Seven consecutive blockbusters followed and by the 1960s, he became a superstar. With a continuous string of hits from 1960 onwards and many of his films running for at least 25 weeks (silver jubilee), Rajendra Kumar earned the moniker Jubilee Kumar and became a superstar.
His blockbusters include Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Mere Mehboob, Aas Ka Panchhi, Gharana and many more. However, his fame was short-lived. After a critical and commercial failure in Mazdoor Zindabaad, he acted in films like Daku Aur Mahatma, Shirdi Ke Sai Baba, Sone Ka Dil Lohe Ke Haath, Aahuti, Saajan Bina Suhagan and Bin Phere Hum Tere, all of which did moderately well at the box office.
There was a time when the actor went bankrupt and had to sell his bungalow to Rajesh Khanna. Though the market value of the bungalow was much higher, he reportedly sold it for only Rs 3.5 lakh.
Rajendra Kumar died in 1999 at the age of 71, just a day after his son’s 43rd birthday and just eight days before his 73rd birthday. He died of cardiac arrest in his sleep.
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