When Subhash Ghai’s Writer Warned Him, “Dilip Kumar & Raaj Kumar Were Enemies For The Past 36 Years” Before Casting Them For Saudagar(Photo Credit–Instagram/Poster From Saudagar)
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Like many industries, Bollywood is no stranger to controversy. There’s always some controversy like a brawl between co-stars and animosity brewing in the background. But today we will take you back to a time when legendary actors Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar shared some animosity between them.
For the unversed, it was a well-known fact in the industry that both legendary stars did not see eye to eye for several decades. It all began during the shoot of Ramanand Sagar’s 1959 comedy-drama Paigham where a scene required Raaj to slap Dilip on the face.
Reportedly, Raaj Kumar slapped Dilip Kumar too hard which irked the latter. Since then the two vowed to never work together until Subhash Ghai brought them together for the 1991 film Saudagar. Before the filmmaker began casting them for the film, many in the industry knew about their animosity and warned him against casting them together for Saudagar.
However, Ghai was adamant about casting them together for his film. During a conversation with Nation Next, Ghai spoke about how he brought together the two legendary stars for his film. “When I completed the script of Saudagar and was about to go to Dilip Ji to narrate it, my writer told me, ‘Do you know Dilip and Raaj are enemies for the past 36 years?’ I got scared. But I thought let’s try at least. When he agreed to do the film, I told him Raaj is his co-actor and ran away from his house, without giving him a chance to react. I didn’t go to meet for the next 5-6 days.”
Subhash Ghai later went to Raaj Kumar to narrate the script. The filmmaker recalled when the actor asked who will be playing the role of his friend, he told him in a mellow tone, “Since I am not able to cast any big name, I am thinking of taking Dilip Kumar.”
A few moments later, Raaj, to Ghai’s surprise, responded by saying, “Jaani, iss duniya mein hum apne baad kissi ko actor maante hain to vo hai Dilip Kumar. This role suits him.” Elated by this reaction, the filmmaker then went to Ram Aur Shyam actor to convince him to play the role in Saudagar.
When Subhash Ghai revealed about Raaj Kumar’s reaction, Dilip Kumar agreed to do the film. So that’s how the two legendary actors came together for a film after three decades and ended their animosity.
