Raj Babbar is a veteran Hindi and Punjabi actor. He is also a prominent Indian politician and has been associated with the Indian National Congress since 2008.
Wiki/Biography
Raj Babbar was born on Monday, 23 June 1952 (age 71 years; in 2023) in Tundla, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Cancer. He did his early schooling at Mufid E Aam Inter College, Agra, and then enrolled himself at Faiz-E-Aam Inter College, Agra. Later, he graduated from Agra College, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from the National School of Drama, Delhi in 1975, and he trained at the School of Method Acting, National School of Drama, Delhi.
Old picture of Raj Babbar
Physical appearance
Height: 5′ 7″
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Family & Caste
He was born in the 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, as well as 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 was the daughter of the famous Indian writer and founder of the Society of Progressive Writers, Sajjad Zaheer. During that time, he worked as a director and writer in various theater plays. They both met while working on one of the theater plays written by Nadira. Soon, they became friends and fell in love with each other. Raj proposed to Nadira, who was four years his senior, and the couple 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).
Collage of old photos of Raj Babbar with his family
By the time his second child was born, Raj was an established actor in Bollywood. During the shooting of the Hindi film ‘Bheegi Raate’ in 1982, he met Indian actress Smita Patil. During the interview, Raj spoke about his first meeting with Late Smita Patil, he said,
I met him for the first time in Rourkela in Orissa, where we went to shoot for Satish Misra’s Bheegi Palken. Our first meeting ended in a kind of collision – a sweet collision that laid the foundation for a later relationship. I was impressed with him from the word go.”
Soon, she became good friends with him and fell in love with him. When his wife Nadira confronts him and finds out he is having an affair with Smita, Nadira and her children start living separately. Later, Raj moved in with Smita and without divorcing his first wife, he married 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 died on December 13, 1986 (Saturday) due to childbirth complications.
Raj Babbar with Smita Patil
Raj Babbar was traumatized 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 lived with his maternal grandmother. Previously, Prateik’s relationship with his father was not very good, but after the death of Prateik’s maternal grandmother, he became closer to his father and stepmother. All three children of Raj Babbar followed in his footsteps and made their careers in acting. His daughter is married to famous Indian television actor Anup Soni.
Raj Babbar with his son
Raj Babbar with his wife Nadira, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson
Raj’s name is also associated with 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 due to certain circumstances. At that time, Rekha had broken off a relationship that had been going on for a long time. He wanted to run away from it. I am in the same situation. At the same time, we also work together and we cling to each other for emotional support. We try to understand each other’s problems.”
Rekha and Raj Babbar in a movie
Career
As an Actor
In 1977, he started his career as an actor in the Hindi film ‘Kissa Kursi Ka.’ He has appeared in various Hindi films such as ‘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 several TV series such as ‘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 the Samajwadi Party and was elected as a Member of the Indian Parliament three times. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha elections (1996), he contested against BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Lucknow constituency. In 2004, he was re-elected for a second term in the 14th Lok Sabha elections. He was suspended from the Samajwadi Party for his anger 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 a fourth term as a Member Parliament.
Raj Babbar in a political rally
He contested from Ghaziabad in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and lost to General VK Singh. In 2016, he was appointed as the president of the 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.
Controversy
- In 2013, he received heavy criticism after passing the comment that in Rs. 12 regulars can get a full meal. Later, he expressed his regret for this comment.
- He created another controversy by comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler in 2013. He said,
Just like people are afraid of Hitler, they are afraid of Modi, but in 2019 elections, they will freely express their opinion about him and bring him to the ground.”
- A criminal case was filed against him in 2015 for throwing stones at policemen during a protest by his former political party Samajwadi Party near the Laxman Mela ground in Lucknow. A few months later, Raj and several other political leaders surrendered before a special MPMLA court and judge PK Rai ordered their release on payment of a fine of Rs. 50,000 each.
- On 7 July 2022, he was convicted in a case involving the assault of a polling officer during the elections in May 1996. While announcing the two-year jail sentence, the court in Lucknow also imposed a fine of Rs. 8,500 on it. The polling officer had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Raj Babbar at Wazirganj police station in Lucknow when Babbar contested the elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
address
- 20, Mahadev Road, New Delhi
- Nepatya, 20, Gulmohar Road, JVPD Scheme, Mumbai
- 94, Ellora Enclave, Dayal Bagh, Agra-282005, Uttar Pradesh
Net worth
Assets/Property
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 loan/advance granted: Rs. 2,45,65,461
- Motor Vehicle: Rs. 38,61,000
- Jewellery: Rs. 1,25,20,935
immovable
- Residential Building: Rs. 10,52,20,260
Signature
Raj Babbar’s signature
Favorite Things
Facts/Trivia
- After marrying Nadira in 1975, due to lack of finances, he moved to Nadira’s parents’ apartment in Delhi. At that time, he sold his scooter for Rs. 6000 and gave the money to Nadira’s mother. In an interview, Nadira said,
I followed him here. But I don’t want to work. I have worked hard, traveled far to direct and act for a living. Also, I have a kid… I don’t have a 24-26 inch waist. Where did married actors get good roles back then?”
- He has launched his own film production company Babbar Films Pvt. Ltd. with his brother Kishan.
- Once his friend and fellow NSD graduate Arun Khanna suffered 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 famous Indian actress Zeenat Aman. Later, Zeenat Aman made him comfortable and helped him complete the scene.
- The role of legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi film ‘Shakti’ (1982) was initially offered to Raj Babbar.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
