Rajendra Nath Malhotra (8 June 1931 − 13 February 2008) was an Indian actor and comedian in
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
and
Punjabi films.
Early life and family
Rajendra Nath was born on 8 June 1931 in
Tikamgarh
Tikamgarh is a town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri (i.e., a triangle) consisting of three hamlets, forming a rough ...
, which is now in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
.
His family was from the Karimpura locality of
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
but settled in
Jabalpur
Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...
in Madhya Pradesh. He studied at Darbar College,
Rewa
Rewa may refer to:
Places Fiji
* Rewa (Fijian Communal Constituency, Fiji), a former electoral division of Fiji
* Rewa Plateau, between the Kaimur and Vindhya Ranges in Madhya Pradesh
* Rewa Province, Fiji
* Rewa River, the widest river in Fiji
...
, where
Arjun Singh (a Congress politician) and R.P. Agarwal were his classmates.
Rajendra's elder brother
Prem Nath
Prem Nath Malhotra, better known as Prem Nath, was an Indian actor and director, who was best known for his works in Hindi films. Nath made his debut with the film ''Ajit'' (1948), and went on to appear in over 100 films throughout his career. ...
went to Mumbai and became an actor, so Rajendra joined him in 1949. They were good friends of
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
and
Shashi Kapoor. Rajendra and Prem's sister Krishna married actor-director
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
.
Farewell Rajendra Nath : Laughter has left the building
''passionforcinema'', 13 February 2008. He had also another brother Narendra Nath
Narendra Nath (1935–1998) was an Indian actor.
Early life and background
His full name is Narendra Nath Malhotra. He was first cousin of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Prithviraj's mother was the elder sister of Narendra's father. Two of his ...
who also became an actor who usually played some villain's role in the movies.
Rajendra, who was little interested in studies, quit college and landed in Bombay to work in films like his brother. He did some plays at Prithvi theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi's father, who had dreamt of having a "home" for his repertory theatre company, Prithvi Th ...
like Pathan and Shakuntala. It was here that he became close to Shammi Kapoor.
Career
Initially Rajendra struggled to get roles till Sashadhar Mukherjee
Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker in Hindi cinema. He started his career with Bombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later established Filmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music direc ...
offered him a comedian's role in ''Dil Deke Dekho
''Dil Deke Dekho'' is a 1959 Indian Hindi romantic comedy film. It was Nasir Hussain's second film as a director after '' Tumsa Nahin Dekha'' (1957), which became a big hit and gave star Shammi Kapoor a new image as a comedic, dancing hero. Huss ...
'', a film directed by Nasir Hussain
Mohammad Nasir Hussain Khan (16 November 1926 — 13 March 2002), better known as Nasir Hussain, was an Indian film producer, director, and screenwriter. With a career spanning decades, Hussain has been credited as a major trendsetter in the ...
, starring Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...
and Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...
. Rajendra Nath along with Asha Parekh were a regular feature in many Nasir Hussain films like ''Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon
''Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon '' ( I've come back with the same heart) is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language film. The film became superhit at the box office. This was Nasir Hussain's second production (his first in colour), after the hit film '' Jab Py ...
'', ''Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai
''Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai '' () is a 1961 Hindi-language musical comedy film that became a box office hit. It was written, produced, and directed by Nasir Hussain. The first film Hussain ever produced, it featured Dev Anand and Hussain fixt ...
'', ''Baharon Ke Sapne
''Baharon Ke Sapne'' (Dreams of Spring) is a 1967 Hindi film made under Nasir Hussain films' banner. It starred Rajesh Khanna and the Nasir Hussain fixture - Asha Parekh. It also had Premnath, Madan Puri and another Nasir Hussain fixture Rajend ...
'' and ''Pyar Ka Mausam
''Pyar Ka Mausam'' () is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film under Nasir Hussain films banner. Hussain wrote, produced, and directed the film. It starred Shashi Kapoor, and the Nasir Husain fixture- Asha Parekh. It also had Bharat ...
''. He also played a villain's role in ''Hamrahi'' opposite Shashikala whose character he kills. He has done 187 movies. He was one of the most famous comedians. His best role as comedian was in ''Mere Sanam
''Mere Sanam'' (English: ''My Lover'' hi, मेरे सनम) is a 1965 Hindi film starring Biswajeet, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Pran and Rajendra Nath. The film was a hit at the box office, especially because of the musical score by Majroo ...
'' and ''Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon''. He also played the role of Hero/Second Lead in "Vachan" and "Teen Bahuraniyan". He played supporting roles in films like ''Dharkan'' by Devendra Goel and ''Jeevan Mrityu
''Jeevan Mrityu'' () is a 1970 Hindi-language crime thriller film produced by Tarachand Barjatya for Rajshri Productions. The film starred Dharmendra, Raakhee, Ajit, Rajindernath and Leela Chitnis. The film was a remake of a 1967 Bengali fil ...
'' by Rajshri Productions. He played a buffoon called Popatlal in ''Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai
''Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai '' () is a 1961 Hindi-language musical comedy film that became a box office hit. It was written, produced, and directed by Nasir Hussain. The first film Hussain ever produced, it featured Dev Anand and Hussain fixt ...
'', and since then the name became synonymous with Rajendra Nath. He used this name in the famous TV series '' Hum Paanch''.
He then did many films, mostly in comic roles, such as in ''An Evening in Paris
''An Evening In Paris'' (Hindi: ''Paris Ki Ek Shaam'') is a 1967 Indian romantic thriller film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, with story by Sachin Bhowmick. It revolves in the French capital city of Paris. It stars Shammi Kapoor, Sh ...
'' and ''Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon
''Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon '' ( I've come back with the same heart) is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language film. The film became superhit at the box office. This was Nasir Hussain's second production (his first in colour), after the hit film '' Jab Py ...
''. One of his most applauded performances was in Manoj Kumar
Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...
's ''Purab Aur Paschim
''Purab Aur Pachhim'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language drama film. The movie was produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, and it stars Manoj Kumar, Saira Banu, Ashok Kumar, Pran and Prem Chopra in the lead roles. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji. ...
'' though it was not a full-fledged comedy role.
He also contributed to Nepal's first movie Maitighar
''Maitighar'' ( Maternal home) is a 1966 Nepali film directed by B.S. Thapa. It was the third Nepali film produced and the first featured film under a private banner. This film features bollywood actress Mala Sinha in the lead role with Nepali ...
which was shot in Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
, Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
.
He starred in a number of Punjabi films such as ''Jatt Punjabi'' and "Do Posti".
He died on 13 February 2008 from cardiac arrest.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Rajendra Nath Profile on Rediff
Rajendra Nath Filmography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nath, Rajendra
Indian male comedians
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Madhya Pradesh
2008 deaths
1932 births
Male actors in Hindi cinema
20th-century Indian male actors
Punjabi people
People from Jabalpur
20th-century comedians
People from Tikamgarh