Raj Babbar (born 23 June 1952) is an Indian Hindi and Punjabi film actor and politician belonging to Indian National Congress. He is a three-time member of the Lok Sabha and a two-time member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the state President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.[3]
Raj Babbar | |
|---|---|
 Babbar in 2012 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 14 March 2015 – 25 November 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Naresh Bansal |
| Constituency | Uttarakhand |
| President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee | |
| In office 12 July 2016 – 7 October 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Nirmal Khatri |
| Succeeded by | Ajay Kumar Lallu |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office By-elections Nov 2009 – 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ram Ji Lal Suman |
| Succeeded by | Akshay Yadav |
| Constituency | Firozabad |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1999–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Bhagwan Shankar Rawat |
| Succeeded by | Ram Shankar Katheria |
| Constituency | Agra |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 1994–1999 | |
| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 June 1952 Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Other political affiliations | Samajwadi Party Janata Dal |
| Spouse(s) | Nadira Babbar (1975-present) Smita Patil (1983-1986)(died) |
| Children | Arya Babbar Juhi Babbar Prateik Babbar |
| Parent(s) | Kushal Kumar Babbar (father) Shobha Babbar (mother) |
| Relatives | Kajri Babbar (niece)[1][2] (See Babbar family) |
| Alma mater | NSD Delhi Agra University |
| Profession |
|
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Signature |  |
Early life and education edit
Babbar was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, into a Punjabi Sunar[4] family on 23 June 1952. His family has long settled in Tundla, Firozabad since the partition.[5] Their ancestral roots lie in Jalalpur Jattan, a city now located in the Gujrat District of Pakistan's Punjab.[6]
He did his initial schooling from Mufid-E-Aam Inter college, Agra. He is an alumnus of the 1975 class of the National School of Drama and graduate from Agra College.[7][8]
Career edit
He trained in the Method school of acting at NSD, which is involved in Street Theatre. After his training in New Delhi, he moved to Mumbai and started his film career with Reena Roy, one of the well-known actresses of that time. He gained notoriety for his horrific portrayal of a rapist in the movie Insaf Ka Tarazu, in which he assaulted the heroine Zeenat Aman, and later her sister, and in the end, is shot and killed by the heroine.
He became a consistent feature of the B. R. Chopra banner; such as in Nikaah with Deepak Parashar, Salma Agha and in Aaj Ki Aawaz with Smita Patil and others.
He also achieved success in Punjabi cinema as he gave remarkable performances in Chann Pardesi (1980), Marhi Da Deeva (1989), and Long Da Lishkara (1986) – three art house movies with serious themes treated in a realistic manner, and this was an innovation for the Punjabi films field. He also acted in the hit Punjabi films Aasra Pyar Da (1983), Mahaul Theek Hai (1999), Shaheed Uddham Singh (1999), Yaaran Naal Baharan (2005), Ek Jind Ek Jaan (2006), Apni Boli Apna Des (2009) and Tera Mera Ki Rishta (2009). He appeared in several movies as an antagonist in movies like Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980), Saazish (1988), Aankhen (1993), Dalaal (1993), The Gambler (1995), Andaz (1994), Yaarana (1995), Barsaat (1995), Ziddi (1997), Gundagardi (1997), Daag the Fire (1999), Indian (2001) and many more, some movies became successful, but some were commercial flops.
He has also acted in television. He appeared in the introductory episodes of the famous Indian TV series Mahabharat, as king Bharat, Bahadur Shah Zafar (1986), as Akbar, alongside the then debutant Juhi Chawla, and also in his home production series; Maharaja Ranjit Singh (2010), all telecast on Doordarshan. In 2014 and 2015, He acted in the serial telecast on Life OK; Pukaar - Call For The Hero, directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, with Rannvijay Singh, Adah Sharma and Shubhangi Latkar.
Political life edit
Raj Babbar entered politics by joining Janata Dal in 1989, which was led by V. P. Singh.
From 1994 to 1999 he was a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was re-elected in the 14th Lok Sabha elections for his second term in 2004. He was suspended from Samajwadi Party in 2006. Later he joined Indian National Congress in 2008 and was elected for his fourth term as Member of Parliament in 2009, by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav and daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav.[9] In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Ghaziabad and lost to General V. K. Singh.[10] He was appointed as the president of Uttar Pradesh congress committee (UPCC), but in 2019 elections he couldn't even manage to save his own seat and lost to Rajkumar Chahar of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a huge margin of 4,95,065 votes.
Raj Babbar, in the capacity of Congress spokesman, created controversy in 2013, by stating that Rs.12 is sufficient for a common man to get a full meal in Mumbai, which drew severe criticism.[11] He also said that a poor person in India can get full meals two times a day, within Rs. 28 to 32 and opposition parties termed Raj Babbar's statement laughable.[11] Later, he regretted his comments.[12] In July 2013, he compared Narendra Modi to Adolf Hitler, which also created controversy.[13]
In the 2024 Indian general election, Raj Babbar has been nominated by the Indian National Congress to contest from the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency.
Personal life edit
He married Nadira Zaheer, daughter of noted progressive Urdu writer Sajjad Zaheer. Arya Babbar and Juhi Babbar are his children from Nadira. By leaving Nadira he married the actress Smita Patil who gave birth to their son Prateik Babbar. He has two younger brothers, Kishan and Vinod (deceased) and four younger sisters.
Raj Babbar's niece Kajri Babbar is an upcoming filmmaker.[2][14][15][16]
He launched his own home production; Babbar Films Pvt. Ltd. along with his brother Kishan. Under this, he has produced two feature films, Karm Yodha (1992) and Kash Aap Hamare Hote (2003), and the serial Maharaja Ranjit Singh (TV series) (2010).
Awards and nominations edit
- 1981: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Insaaf Ka Tarazu
- 1984: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Agar Tum Na Hote
- 1985: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Aaj Ki Awaaz
- 1994: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role for Dalaal
- 1996: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role for Yaraana
Selected acting filmography edit
Films edit
Television edit
| Year | Serial | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Bahadur Shah Zafar | Akbar | DD National | |
| 1988 | Mahabharat | Bharata | DD National | |
| 2010 | Maharaja Ranjit Singh | Narrator | DD National | |
| 2014-2015 | Pukaar-Call For The Hero | Life OK | ||
| 2021 | Dil Bekaraar | LN Thakur | Hotstar | |
| 2023 | Happy Family: Conditions Apply[17] | Mansukhlal Dholakia | Amazon Prime | |
| 2023 | The Kapil Sharma Show | Self | Sony Entertainment Television | He appeared on the show with his sons Aarya, Prateik and daughter Juhi Babbar |
References edit
- ^ "Festival cheer for Raj Babbar's niece Kajri". 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Raj Babbar's niece Kajri Babbar's short film 'Khoj' starring Salma Agha's daughter Zara Khan to release on Lohri". 11 January 2019. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ "Have resigned from UP Congress president post, says Raj Babbar". 21 March 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018 – via The Economic Times.
- ^ https://translate.google.com/translate?u=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/how-and-why-congress-chose-raj-babbar-to-head-up-fight/&hl=hi&sl=en&tl=hi&client=srp&prev=search
- ^ BHATNAGAR, GAURAV VIVEK (13 February 2012). "No Raj Babbar effect in play this time". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Raj Babbar meets Pervaiz". Dawn News. 9 August 2004.
- ^ "Film Celebrities from Uttar Pradesh – Raj Babbar". Official Website of Film Bandhu, Information and Public Relation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, India. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Kidwai, Rasheed (5 September 2018). Neta–Abhineta: Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics. Hachette India. ISBN 978-93-5009-803-5.
- ^ "Raj Babbar wins in Firozabad, blow to Mulayam". Indian Express. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "VK Singh wins Ghaziabad seat by 5.67 lakh votes, creates history - Times of India". The Times of India. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Raj Babbar says he can get a full meal for Rs 12 in Mumbai". The Hindu. 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Raj Babbar eats crow for Rs. 12 meal remark, says sorry". India today. 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Congress compares Narendra Modi to Adolf Hitler; targets BJP over election panel". DNA India. 20 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Kajri Babbar's short film to release on Lohri". Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ "ZEE5 announces Kajri Babbar's award winning short film 'Khoj'". 12 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ "Raj Babbar Appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress Chef". NDTV. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Ratna Pathak Shah's 'Happy Family: Conditions Apply' trailer out, check out here". The Economic Times. 3 March 2023.
External links edit
- Raj Babbar at IMDb