Known for iconic performances in films such as Mother India, Waqt, Heer Raanjha and Saudagar, Raaj Kumar built a reputation for speaking his mind regardless of who stood before him. His trademark dialogue delivery and commanding voice made him one of Hindi cinema’s most recognizable stars.

Born Kulbhushan Pandit in Balochistan during British India, Raaj Kumar worked as a sub-inspector in the Bombay Police before entering films. His journey in cinema began in the early 1950s, but it was Mother India that brought him widespread recognition. Over the following decades, he established himself as one of the industry’s most distinctive performers.

Away from the camera, however, stories about his blunt remarks became legendary.

One of the most discussed anecdotes involves Amitabh Bachchan. According to industry accounts, Raaj Kumar once saw Bachchan wearing an expensive suit at a gathering and asked where it had been stitched. When Bachchan thought he was being complimented, the veteran actor reportedly remarked that he was looking for similar fabric to make curtains.

Another incident often recalled by film insiders concerns Govinda. During the shooting of a film, Raaj Kumar admired a shirt worn by the younger actor. Delighted by the praise, Govinda gifted it to him. Days later, he reportedly discovered that the shirt had been cut up and turned into handkerchiefs.

His interactions with fellow stars regularly made headlines within the industry. Music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri, known for wearing heavy gold jewellery, was once jokingly told by Raaj Kumar that only a mangalsutra was missing from his collection.

Even future superstars were not spared. A widely circulated story suggests that when a young Salman Khan failed to recognise him at a party, Raaj Kumar responded by asking him to go home and ask his father who he was. The remark later became one of Bollywood’s most quoted anecdotes.

His strong personality also created friction on film sets. During the making of Kajal, reports suggest a disagreement with Dharmendra escalated after comments about the actor’s physique. The dispute allegedly resulted in Raaj Kumar leaving the project.

Relations with some contemporaries remained strained for years. A famous example involved Dilip Kumar. Industry accounts claim that a disagreement during the filming of Paigham led to decades of silence between the two legends. Their reconciliation eventually came years later when filmmaker Subhash Ghai brought them together for Saudagar.

Despite his intimidating reputation, Raaj Kumar commanded immense respect for his acting abilities. Several actors admitted being nervous about sharing screen space with him. Stories surrounding the casting of Tirangaa often mention concerns among actors about matching his larger-than-life presence.

His final years were marked by a battle with throat cancer. The actor believed that illness and death were deeply personal matters and reportedly wanted details of his condition kept private. He passed away in 1996, bringing an end to a career that spanned more than four decades.

Yet even today, Raaj Kumar’s legacy remains unique. While many actors are remembered for blockbuster films, he is equally remembered for his fearless attitude, sharp wit and unforgettable one-liners that became part of Bollywood folklore.

Cinema’s greatest legends and icons come together in a rare visual celebration as the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents an extraordinary series of exhibitions at the International Film Festival of Delhi (IFFD). Curated by pioneering arts archivist, author and institution-builder Neville Tuli, the exhibition brings together towering figures of world and Indian cinema alongside rare and vintage film art, memorabilia, posters and archives that trace the visual history of the medium.

From the quiet genius of Satyajit Ray to the mass appeal and love for the Cinema of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand & Shakti Samanta, to the enduring charm and stardom of Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore to the epic grandeur of Mughal-E-Azam, and the contemporary superstardom of SRK, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, the exhibition captures multiple eras of cinematic imagination under one roof.

One of the highlight Exhibitions is “The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1910–1960s,” which explores the evolution of cinema from the silent era to the rise of global stardom. The exhibition is positioned as part of a larger Indo-American cinematic dialogue and as a learning module within India Studies.

Another major showcase, “Highlights of Indian Cinematography, 1913–1973,” celebrates the pioneers behind the camera, featuring the work of legendary cinematographers including Faredoon A. Irani, Josef Wirsching, the Mistry Brothers, Radhu Karmakar, R.D. Mathur, V.K. Murthy, Dilip Basu, and Subrata Mitra, whose visual craft shaped the aesthetics of Indian cinema.

The exhibition “The Heart of Cinema as a Critical Educational Resource – The Song-Synopsis Booklet” revisits a fascinating film artefact that once served as both publicity material and audience guide. Today, these booklets stand as important educational resources that reflect how music and storytelling became inseparable from Indian cinema.

A spectacular display titled “Significant Artworks of Landmark Films of Bombay Cinema, 1940–80s” presents original artworks, hoardings and rare multi-sheet posters that once dominated the visual culture of Indian cities, from classics such as Sholay, Guide, Azaad, Pakeezah, Deewaar, and many others.

Another rare showcase, “The World of Satyajit Ray through the Lens of Nemai Ghosh, 1969–1990,” offers an intimate glimpse into the legendary filmmaker’s working life through rare still photographs captured across decades.

The global influence of film poster design is reflected in “Vintage Polish & Japanese Designed Posters, 1950–70s,” which highlights powerful graphic traditions that shaped international cinema publicity.

Among the most evocative presentations is “A Tribute to the Greatest Epic Indian Film – Mughal-E-Azam,” featuring memorabilia and visual material connected with the iconic film and its legendary cinematography.

The exhibition “From Trinity to Trinity to Trinity | Dev-Raj-Dilip to Ray-Ghatak-Sen to Salman-Aamir-SRK” traces how different cinematic trios have defined successive eras of Indian cinema, reflecting the changing idea of heroism and storytelling.

Additional exhibitions pay homage to major cinematic personalities including Dharmendra, filmmaker Shakti Samanta (1926–2026) and Sharmila Tagore, offering deeper insights into their artistic journeys and influence, and the first magnificent Exhibition ever held in India on a vast range of the uniquely Indian Film Jubilee Trophy from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Together, these twelve exhibitions bring together a vast constellation of film objects — posters, lobby cards, still photographs, booklets, pamphlets, memorabilia and Jubilee trophies — demonstrating how cinema’s life extends far beyond the screen and into the cultural imagination of audiences.

The initiative is anchored by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.), an independent charitable society and trust dedicated to advancing Contemporary India Studies. Through its pioneering digital platform tuliresearchcentre.org, the centre offers an open-access knowledge base structured across sixteen Research Categories spanning the arts, humanities, social and ecological sciences.

T.R.I.S. combines digital scholarship with physical archives, extensive library collections, exhibitions and live interactions with leading creative minds. The initiative also connects with the Vanraja Sanctuary and Hospice, a path-breaking initiative dedicated to the welfare of canine and feline children.

Through institutional collaborations and interdisciplinary engagement, the centre seeks to build the first structured Contemporary India Studies curriculum where visual, textual and audio materials are treated as equal sources of knowledge.

Neville Tuli says,
“Cinema has always been far more than the films we watch. It is a vast universe of visual memory — posters, publicity art, photographs, booklets and objects that carry the spirit of their time. Through these exhibitions we hope to re-introduce cinema as a powerful educational resource, where the visual becomes a serious source of knowledge and dialogue across disciplines. Our endeavour through T.R.I.S. is to help audiences, scholars and students rediscover the deeper intellectual and aesthetic worlds that cinema has created across generations, and relate such to all the arts, humanities and social sciences in a systematic manner.”