TWENTY FACTS ABOUT THE BOLLYWOOD LEGEND TO MARK HIS DEATH ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH
by ASJAD NAZIR
JULY 3 marks the death anniversary of late great Bollywood star Raaj Kumar, who passed away in 1996 aged 69 after a battle with throat cancer.
He left behind a great body of work, which is still enjoyed by film fans globally, and was regarded as one of the all time great performers.
The baritone-voiced Bollywood star not only gave notable performances in films such as Mother India, Waqt, Neel Kamal and Pakeezah, but also had an interesting life filled with some extraordinary moments.
Eastern Eye went back through the life of late great star Raaj Kumar to present 20 facts about him and his work.
■ Raaj Kumar was born as Kulbhushan Pandit in Balochistan on October 8, 1926, and moved to Mumbai in 1940s to work as a police inspector.
■ The actor had initially auditioned for the film Daulat (1949), but was rejected and finally made his acting debut in Rangeeli (1952) three years later.
■ 1957 was a major turning point for Kumar because he played a key role in blockbuster epic Nausherwan-E-Adil and a small role in Oscar-nominated film Mother India. It was the tiny supporting role in Mother India that turned him into a star.
■ The actor got his first award nomination for his performance in Paigham (1959), but it would be 32 years before he worked with his co-star Dilip Kumar again and that was in 1991 film Saudagar because the two actors did not get along.
■ Kumar’s film Godaan (1963) was based on Munshi Premchand's 1936 novel of the same name, which would later be remade for television in 2004.
■ Kumar won his first acting award for his performance as a cancer patient in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), which was actually a remake of 1962 Tamil film Nenjil Or Aalayam. Filmmaker CV Sridhar had directed both versions of the film.
■ His film Waqt (1965) reintroduced the lost and found story formula back into Bollywood in a big way, along with popularising the concept of multi-starrers. Although Waqt had a stellar star cast, including Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Sharmila Tagore and Balraj Sahni, Kumar was the only one to win an acting award for it.
■ After Waqt, the actor mostly wore white shoes in his films and that became a signature piece of attire for him. He insisted on wearing white shoes even if the filmmaker objected to it.
■ His famous film Kaajal (1965) is an adaptation of Gulshan Nanda’s novel Maadhavi.
■ His 1970 film Heer Ranjha was unique in that it was the first major Bollywood release to have the entire dialogue in poetic verse.
■ A number of movies that Kumar started work on were shelved after going into production, including Galiyon Ka Raja (1971), which co-starred Mumtaz and Hema Malini, because the cast apparently did not like the director of the film.
■ Dharmendra, Rajendra Kumar and Sunil Dutt were all considered for the lead role in legendary film Pakeezah (1972), but director Kamal Amrohi cast Kumar because of his voice and dialogue delivery abilities.
■ Kumar’s Pakeezah co-star Meena Kumari was so unwell that a body double had to be used in some of the scenes, including for the classic song Chalo Dildar Chalo, and that is why her face is not seen.
■ According to legend, the eccentric actor actually turned down the lead role in Zanjeer (1973) because he didn’t like director Prakash Mehra’s face. Amitabh Bachchan eventually stepped into the blockbuster smash and became an overnight superstar.
■ Kumar’s film 36 Ghante (1974) was a remake of 1955 Hollywood film The Desperate Hours, which itself was a big screen adaptation of a Joseph Hayes thriller novel of the same name.
■ The actor liked continuity and so reportedly had the same driver, hair stylist and tailor for 40 years.
■ Kumar actually went bald early on life, so he wore wigs throughout his personal and professional life.
■ Legend has it that Kumar met Zeenat Aman at the height of her fame in the 1970s and told her, "You have a pretty face. You should try acting."
■ Kumar had turned down a supporting role in Raj Kapoor’s magnum opus Mera Naam Joker. Legend also has it that Kapoor was so upset with Kumar that he had a huge fight with him at the wedding reception of actor Prem Chopra.
■ The actor was most famous for his dialogue delivery and earned the nickname Jaani, after using the word in a famous film line, which he would later repeat, including in real life.
Magnificent seven
THE seven best performances of Raaj Kumar
Paigham (1959): The actor held his own opposite Bollywood’s biggest star Dilip Kumar and received his first major award nomination for the powerful social drama. He plays a loyal worker clashing against his educated brother, who uncovers corruption at a mill.
Dil Ek Mandir (1963): Kumar won his first major acting award for the emotional drama, where he plays a cancer patient being treated by his wife’s former lover. The unique love triangle also has Bollywood legends Meena Kumari and Rajendra Kumar on top form.
Waqt (1965): The massively influential multi-starrer saw the actor play one of three brothers separated as children and brought up in different circumstances. He plays a man torn between a life of crime and doing the right thing.
Kaajal (1965): Kumar made such a massive impact playing a man who is not all he seems that he received a Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Filmfare Awards for the same role. The neatly crafted drama enabled him to shine in a film that also starred Meena Kumari and Dharmendra.
Neel Kamal (1968): The actor received one more award nomination in what turned out to be another unique love triangle. The actor plays a man who dies for love and returns as a ghostly spirit to reunite with the woman he loves, but she is married to another man.
Heer Ranjha (1970): The artistic masterpiece was a unique retelling of the classic love legend with the entire movie being performed in verse. The legendary actor shows off his breathtaking dialogue delivery in the poetry driven story of star-crossed lovers.
Pakeezah (1972): One of the alltime great movies may have been built around Meena Kumari, but Kumar was a key component in making it a success and injected a beautiful romantic energy into the story with a strong lead performance.
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
WHEN broadcaster and journalist Naga Munchetty began speaking openly about her experiences with adenomyosis and debilitating menstrual pain, the response was overwhelming.
Emails and messages poured in from women who had endured years of dismissal, silence and shame when it came to their health. That outpouring became the driving force behind her new book, It’s Probably Nothing, which calls for women to be heard and to advocate for themselves in a medical system that has too often ignored them.
“For so long, so many women haven’t been listened to by the world of medicine,” Munchetty said. “I knew this from my own experience of not being given adequate pain relief, or waiting years for a diagnosis. My motivation was to help women and people who love women to advocate better for women’s health.”
The book blends Munchetty’s personal journey with the voices of other women who have faced similar struggles, alongside expert insights from medical professionals. Its purpose, she said, is clear: to empower people to fight for their health.
“We need to be unafraid of saying how we have been weakened by our symptoms,” the BBC presenter said.
“Too often, we try to keep afloat, keep our head above water, but we don’t want to seem weak. That needs to change.”
Munchetty’s candour is striking. She describes the shame of being told her excruciating periods were “just normal,” leaving her to feel weak and whiny for struggling.
“You might as well have told me people have heart attacks while I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “Debilitating pain is serious — it may not be lifelimiting, but it is life-impacting.”
Her determination to challenge that culture led to her giving evidence in parliament, contributing to what became a Women and Equalities Committee report, published in December 2024.
The report made headlines for its stark conclusion: medical misogyny exists.
For Munchetty, seeing that phrase in black and white was transformative. “It was almost self-affirming,” she said. “We now know it’s there, so we can challenge it. Women can say: I know my body, I know there’s not enough research, and I am entitled to push for answers.”
The parliamentary report went further than acknowledgement. It called for ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs, better training for GPs, and greater investment in research into reproductive conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis.
It highlighted how symptoms are routinely dismissed as “normal,” delaying diagnosis and disrupting women’s careers, education and daily lives. Munchetty wrote in her book — referencing the report — that medical misogyny is not about blaming individual doctors, but about challenging a system built on insufficient research into women’s bodies.
“It gives women the language and the confidence to not just be heard, but to insist on being taken seriously,” she wrote.
Her book also tackles the additional barriers faced by women from minority communities, who may be discouraged by stigma or embarrassment from speaking about menstruation or menopause. To them, Munchetty has a clear message: “You are so much more valuable than you realise. If you don’t prioritise your health, you are lessening your ability to hold up everyone around you.”
Those featured in the book are friends, colleagues, charities and everyday women who contributed their stories, many for the first time. “I was surprised at how many friends are in that book with such powerful experiences,” Munchetty said.
“It told me all the more that we’re not speaking about it, and that it is sadly so very common.”
At a launch event for the book, contributors, family and experts filled the room with what Munchetty describes as an “electric and inspiring atmosphere.”
She said, “It was full of joy, of women who felt safe to speak up and be heard. This is not a whiny book — it’s a positive book. People felt they were part of making things better, part of this women’s health revolution.”
For Munchetty, writing the book was exhausting, but transformative, she said.
“I never thought I’d be an author. I’m a journalist. But this is journalism — facilitating people’s stories to be told powerfully and truthfully. People trusted me, and I’m proud of that.”
And Munchetty’s aim is for the book to be a tool for change: arming women with the language, confidence and strategies to advocate for their health.
“It’s not easy to admit you need help, and it’s not instinctive for women to prioritise themselves,” she said. “But this book will help you do that. It’s the silent friend who has your back and gives you strength.”
It’s Probably Nothing - Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis is now available in all good bookshops
The Shree Kunj Bihari Vrindavan (UK) Temple has officially launched its project to establish a grand home for Shree Banke Bihari in London.
The inaugural event, held in Harrow from 4 pm, featured devotional chants, the Deep Pragtya ceremony, and a presentation outlining the temple’s vision. Speaking at the gathering, Shalini Bhargava described the planned temple as “a spiritual home promoting bhakti, unity and seva for generations to come.”
Several dignitaries were honoured at the ceremony, including Cllr Anjana Patel, Mayor of Harrow; Anuradha Pandey, Hindi and Cultural Attaché at the High Commission of India; Kamakshi Jani of the Royal Navy; Councillors Janet Mote, Nitin Parikh and Mina Parmar; Krishnaben Pujara, Chairperson of ALL UK; and Truptiben Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Organisers said the launch marks the beginning of a new spiritual and cultural hub for London’s Hindu community, offering a centre for devotion, learning and community service.
Martin Dickie has announced his departure from BrewDog and the alcohol industry.
He co-founded the Ellon-based brewer with James Watt in 2007.
Dickie cited family time and personal reasons for his exit.
His departure follows recent bar closures as part of a company restructuring.
BrewDog confirmed no further leadership changes will follow.
BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has announced he is leaving the Scottish brewer and the wider alcohol industry for “personal reasons.” Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based business with James Watt in 2007, said he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than two decades in brewing and distilling.
Early beginnings
Dickie and Watt launched BrewDog at the age of 24, starting from a garage in Fraserburgh and selling hand-filled bottles from a van at local markets. The company grew rapidly to become one of the UK’s best-known craft brewers.
Leadership changes
James Watt stepped down as chief executive last year after 17 years in the role, moving into a non-executive position as “captain and co-founder.” Dickie’s exit marks another major shift in the company’s founding leadership.
Dickie’s statement
“Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family,” Dickie said. He added: “It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
Company response
BrewDog chief executive James Taylor praised Dickie’s contribution, highlighting his focus on product quality, workplace safety, sustainable supplier relationships, and new product development. “Martin’s contributions to BrewDog have been immeasurable,” Taylor said. “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”
Recent challenges
The announcement comes a month after BrewDog closed ten of its bars, including its flagship Aberdeen Gallowgate site and a Dundee outlet, citing commercial unviability. The company stressed that Dickie’s departure will not result in further leadership changes.