Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1929 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian film actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1950, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was considered as one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s. He also produced several films starring his son Kumar Gaurav.

He was born in a Punjabi Hindu family in Sialkot, in the Punjab province of British India, now in Pakistan.

Biography

He married Shukla and had a son and two daughters. His son Kumar Gaurav also had a brief acting career.

Kumar acted with Sunil Dutt and Nargis in the film Mother India (1957) where Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar played natural sons of Nargis's character. He had a special relationship with Dutt and used to actively participate in campaigning for him, whenever the latter used to contest for elections. Dutt quoted as having said that "Even though Rajendra Kumar did not win any award throughout his career, he was one of the most genuine human beings I have ever encountered. When I was struggling with the troubles related to the arrest of my son Sanjay Dutt and my house was repeatedly being searched by means of numerous police raids, Rajendra Kumar was the one who came to my rescue by staying at my house and ensuring that raids were conducted using due procedures, false evidences were not planted in the house and valuables were not stolen." Kumar was best friends with Raj Kapoor, so much so that his son Kumar Gaurav was engaged to the latter's daughter, Reema. As fate would have it, this friendship could not last long after their children broke the engagement and Kumar Gaurav got married to Sunil Dutt and Nargis's daughter Namrata.

He attained a PHD and had a title of 'Doctor' prefixed to his name.

For the premier of his film Vachan, he was asked if he wanted any seats for his relatives or friends, and thinking that it would be complimentary, he answered ten. After some days when he went to get his fees from the producer's accountant, he was given a lesser amount and when he asked why he was told that the money was deducted for the seats he took for his relatives and friends. He took this lesson as a principle of production and when he produced Naam, he deducted some amount from Amrita Singh's fees for the long calls she had made from Hong Kong to India.

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