In Remembrance: Raj Kumar

     Raj Kumar, one of India’s most beloved movie stars having appeared in over 200 films, has passed away on April 12, 2006 in Bangalore, India. He was 77.

     Born on April 24, 1928 in Gajanur, Karnataka, India, Kumar first became interest in acting as a child. His father was an actor who performed in plays in small villages throughout India’s countryside. Kumar would drop out of school to act on the stage, eventually transitioning into film.

     Appearing in over 200 films produced in the southern Indian state of Karnataka over five decades, Kumar earned the nickname “Annavaru” or “respected elder brother” in the Kannada language. Kumar had made a point to not smoke on screen. With the exception of a few early roles, Kumar never played a drunkard on screen either. He was known for appearing as the stalwart hero in action films, romances and mythological sagas. In many films he would take on two or three roles in a film. Although he retired from acting in the mid-1990s, he continued to work behind the camera as a producer.