Often hailed as one of Indian cinema’s finest actors, Raaj Kumar was known not only for his powerful screen presence but also for his eccentric personality. His dialogues continue to be remembered till date. In a recent interview, filmmaker KC Bokadia recently shared some memories of working with the legendary actor. He revealed that handling Raaj Kumar was even more difficult than working with Amitabh Bachchan.Bokadia recalled one of Raaj Kumar’s unusual habits. “His dog’s name was Jaani. So, he used to call everyone ‘Jaani.’ Fortunately, he never called me by that name and addressed me only as ‘Bokadia saab,’” he said in an interview with IndiaTV. The filmmaker also narrated how he managed to cast the actor in ‘Police Aur Mujrim’ at the very last moment, just a day before the film’s muhurat shot. “I called him over the phone one evening. We had planned the muhurat shot for the next day. If he doesn’t know the person’s face, he won’t do the film. The story comes second for him. As soon as he picked up the phone, I told him, ‘Raaj saab, let me share a line with you.’ He agreed. Handling him was tougher than handling Bachchan saab. Yes, Bachchan is a calculative person, but Raaj saab was moody,” Bokadia shared.Explaining further, he added, “It’s easy to explain things to a calculative person. But when it comes to a moody person, it depends on their mood from time to time. The cow may give milk if it feels like it; if it doesn’t, it won’t. After hearing my scene description, he said it was good. I immediately requested him to do the movie then. His reply was that he couldn’t say no to me.”Bokadia also revealed how their discussion soon shifted to remuneration, where he ended up offering Raaj Kumar more money than the actor initially demanded. “I asked him how much he wanted. ‘How much did you pay me last time?’ he asked, to which I replied, ‘Rs 21 lakh.’ He asked me for a bigger amount. I said Rs 23 lakh, he asked for Rs 24 lakh, and I immediately offered him Rs 25 lakh. Along with that, I requested one more favour from him and requested him to join the project the very next morning, as the muhurat was scheduled for the next day.”Although the request surprised the veteran actor, Bokadia eventually convinced him to show up for the shoot. “He asked me how we would get the costumes ready on such short notice. I told him, ‘You have been looking the same for the past 25-30 years, so why do we need new clothes? I just want the muhurat shot to be yours.’”Interestingly, Raaj Kumar appeared for the muhurat shot wearing the same yellow coat he had famously worn in the song ‘Neele Gagan Ke Tale’ from Hamraaz, directed by BR Chopra.
