Raj Babbar is a veteran Hindi and Punjabi actor. He is also a well-known Indian politician and is associated with the Indian National Congress since 2008.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Raj Babbar was born on Monday, 23 June 1952 (age 71 years; as of 2023) in Tundla, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Cancer. He did his initial schooling at Mufid E Aam Inter College, Agra, and then enrolled himself at Faiz-E-Aam Inter College, Agra. Later, he did his graduation from Agra College, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from the National School of Drama, Delhi in 1975, and he did training at the Method School of Acting, National School of Drama, Delhi.
An old picture of Raj Babbar
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 7″
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family & Caste
He was born in a Sonar community which is an Other Backward Caste (OBC) in Uttar Pradesh.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Late Kushal Kumar Babbar, and his mother’s name is Shobarani Babbar. He is the eldest among his six siblings. He has two brothers, Kishan Babbar and Late Vinod Babbar, and his and four sisters, Shashi Verma, Kiran Chandok, Suman Malhotra, and Anju Sahdev.
Raj Babbar’s mother and brother
Raj Babbar with his sister Shashi Verma
Raj Babbar with his brother
Relationships, Wife & Children
While Raj Babbar was studying at the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi, he met Nadira Babbar, who is the daughter of the renowned Indian writer and founder of the Progressive Writer’s Association, Sajjad Zaheer. At that time, she was working as a director and writer in various theatre plays. They both met while working on one of the theatre plays written by Nadira. Soon, they became friends and fell in love with each other. Raj proposed Nadira for marriage, who was four years older than him, and the couple got married on 21 November 1975 (Friday). The couple was blessed with a daughter, Juhi Babbar on 20 July 1979 (Friday). The couple welcomed their second child Arya Babbar on 24 May 1981 (Sunday).
A collage of old pictures of Raj Babbar with his family
By the time his second child was born, Raj was a well-established actor in Bollywood. While shooting for the Hindi film ‘Bheegi Raate’ in 1982, he met the Indian actress Smita Patil. During an interview, Raj talked about his first meeting with Late Smita Patil, he said,
I met her for the first time in Rourkela in Orissa, where we had gone to shoot Satish Misra’s film Bheegi Palken. Our first meeting ended in a sort of clash – a sweet clash that laid the foundation of a relationship later. I was impressed by her from the word go.”
Soon, he became good friends with her and fell head over heels for her. When his wife Nadira confronted him and got to know that he was in a relationship with Smita, Nadira and her children started living separately. Later, Raj moved in with Smita and without getting divorced from his first wife, he got married to Smita Patil. On 28 November 1986 (Friday), Raj and Smita were blessed with their first child, Prateik Babbar. But their happiness did not last long, and at the age of 31, Smita Patil passed away on 13 December 1986 (Saturday) due to childbirth complications.
Raj Babbar with Smita Patil
Raj Babbar was traumatised by her death, but his first wife supported him in this phase and accepted him back. Raj started living with his first wife and their children, and Prateik stayed with his maternal grandmother. Earlier, Prateik’s relation with his father was not so good, but after Prateik’s maternal grandmother’s death, he got closer to his father and stepmother. All the three children of Raj Babbar followed his footsteps and made their career in acting. His daughter is married to the famous Indian television actor Anup Soni.
Raj Babbar with his sons
Raj Babbar with his wife Nadira, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson
Raj’s name was also linked with the veteran Indian actress Rekha. In an interview, Raj confirmed his relationship with Rekha. He said,
Yes, our relationship helped me in a way. We drifted together because of certain circumstances. At that time, Rekha had broken off from a long-standing relationship. She wanted to get away from it. I was in a similar situation. At the same time, we were also working together and we clung to each other for emotional support. We tried to understand each other’s problems.”
Rekha and Raj Babbar in a film
Career
As An Actor
In 1977, he debuted as an actor in the Hindi film ‘Kissa Kursi Ka.’ He has appeared in various Hindi films like ‘Sau Din Saas Ke’ (1982), ‘Insaaf Ka Tarazu’ (1980), ‘Kalyug’ (1981), ‘Nikaah’ (1981), ‘Sansar’ (1987), and ‘Bodyguard’ (2011).
In 1992, he acted in the Bengali film ‘Anutap.’ He has appeared in a few TV serials like ‘Bahadur Shah Zafar’ (1986) as Akbar, ‘Mahabharat’ (1988) as Bharata, ‘Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ (2010) as the narrator, and ‘Pukaar- Call For The Hero’ (2014) as Amarjeet Shergill. Some of his Punjabi films are ‘Aasra Pyar Da’ (1983), ‘Mahaul Theek Hai’ (1999), ‘Shaheed Uddham Singh’ (2000), ‘Yaaran Naal Baharan’ (2005), ‘Ek Jind Ek Jaan’ (2006), ‘Apni Boli Apna Des’ (2009), and ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ (2009).
As A Politician
Raj Babbar started his political career in 1989 and joined the Indian political party Janata Dal. Later, he joined Samajwadi Party and was elected as the Member of Parliament of India for three times. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a member of Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha elections (1996), he contested against the BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Lucknow constituency. In 2004, he was re-elected for his second term in the 14th Lok Sabha elections. He was suspended from the Samajwadi Party due to his outbursts against the then general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Late Amar Singh in 2006. In 2008, he joined the Indian National Congress, and in 2009, he defeated Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav and was elected for his fourth term as the Member of Parliament.
Raj Babbar in a political rally
He contested from Ghaziabad in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and lost to General V. K. Singh. In 2016, he was appointed as the president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), and in 2018, he resigned from this post. He lost to Rajkumar Chahar of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a huge margin in 2019.
Controversies
- In 2013, he received huge criticism after passing comment that in Rs. 12 a common can get a full meal. Later, he expressed his regrets for this comment.
- He created another controversy by comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler in 2013. He said,
Just like people were scared of Hitler, they are scared of Modi, but in 2019 elections, they will freely express their opinion about him and bring him down to the ground.”
- A criminal case was filed against him in 2015 for pelting stones at policemen during a protest of his former political party Samajwadi Party near Laxman Mela ground in Lucknow. A few months later, Raj and a few other political leaders surrendered before a special MPMLA court and the judge PK Rai ordered their release on paying the fine of Rs. 50,000 each.
- On 7 July 2022, he was convicted in a case involving the assault of a polling officer during an election in May 1996. While announcing a two-year jail term, a court in Lucknow also imposed a fine of Rs. 8,500 on him. The polling officer had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Raj Babbar at the Wazirganj police station in Lucknow when Babbar was contesting the election on a ticket of the Samajwadi Party.
Address(es)
- 20, Mahadev Road, New Delhi
- Nepathya, 20, Gulmohar Road, JVPD Scheme, Mumbai
- 94, Ellora Enclave, Dayal Bagh, Agra-282005, Uttar Pradesh
Net Worth
Assets/Properties
Movable
- Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions, and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs. 5,22,54,562
- Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs. 11,29,691.25
- Personal loans/advance given: Rs. 2,45,65,461
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 38,61,000
- Jewellery: Rs. 1,25,20,935
Immovable
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 10,52,20,260
Signature
Raj Babbar’s signature
Favourite Things
Facts/Trivia
- After getting married to Nadira in 1975, due to the lack of finances, he shifted to Nadira’s parents’ apartment in Delhi. At that time, he sold his scooter for Rs. 6000 and gave that money to Nadira’s mother. In an interview, Nadira said,
I followed him here. But I didn’t want to work. I had worked hard, travelled far to direct and act in plays for survival. Also, I had a child… I didn’t have a 24-26 inch waist. Where were married actresses getting good roles then?”
- He has launched his own film production company Babbar Films Pvt. Ltd. along with his brother Kishan.
- Once his friend and his fellow NSD graduate Arun Khanna had a stroke in Mumbai, and at that time Raj Babbar paid his medical bills as Arun’s financial condition was not good.
- While he was shooting for the Hindi film ‘Insaaf Ka Taraazu’ in 1980, he was very nervous as he had to do a rape scene with the famous Indian actress Zeenat Aman. Later, Zeenat Aman made him comfortable and helped him in completing the scene.
- The role of the legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi film ‘Shakti’ (1982) was initially offered to Raj Babbar.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn