Stardom is the entertainment industry is too fragile and one mistake can lead to an actor's downfall. Many actors, who became superstars, later went into oblivion. One such actor, who gave 7 consecutive blockbusters, later went bankrupt.
The actor we are talking abotu came to India with just Rs 50 in his pocket during partition and made his place in the hearts of the audience. Howevbyer, his stardom was short lived and soon he had to sell his bungalow at a price lower than its market value after going bankrupt. He is none other than Rajendra Kumar.
Rajendra Kumar is regarded as one of the most successful actors in Bollywood. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the Jubilee Kumar during the 1960s when he starred in several commercially successful films.
Rajendra Kumar used to live in Sailkot, Punjab province of British India, however, during the partition, their family had to leave all their ancestral property and move to India. When Rajendra Kumar got an opportunity to step into the world of acting, he had only 50 rupees which he bought 50 rupees by selling his father's watch. He didn't even have money to buy train tickets and used to live in a guest house by taking a trench on rent.
He started his career with small roles in films like Patanga and Jogan, however, it was the film Vachan which gained him recognition. This was followed by Mehboob Khan's epic drama film Mother India which also became a massive hit at the box office. He then went on to give seven back to back blockbusters and by the 1960s he became a superstar. With continuous flow of hits from 1960 onwards and many of his films running for a minimum 25 weeks (silver jubilee), Rajendra Kumar earned the sobriquet of Jubilee Kumar and emerged a Superstar.
Some of his blockbusters include Mughal-E-Azam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Mere Mehboob, Aas Ka Panchhi , Gharana and more. However, his stardom was short lived. After having a critical and commercial failure in Mazdoor Zindabaad, he starred in films, such as 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. While the market value of the bangalow was much higher, he reportedly sold it off in just Rs 3.5 lakh. He used to refuse taking any medication and died at the age of 71 in 1999, just a day after his son's 43rd birthday and just 8 days before his 73rd birthday. He passed away of cardiac arrest in his sleep.
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