Raj Babbar
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Raj Babbar (born 23 June 1952) is an Indian
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 de ...
and Punjabi film actor and politician belonging to
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
. three-time member of the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
and a two-time member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. He was the President of
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) is the Pradesh Congress Committee (state wing) of the Indian National Congress (INC) serving in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Congress Working Committee Appointed Priyanka Gandhi as General Secretary of UP ...
.


Early life

Babbar was born in
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
,
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, in a Punjabi family on 23 June 1952, but he hails from
Tundla Tundla is a town and a municipal board in Firozabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Location Tundla is situated on NH2 which connects it to nearest major city of Agra, 24 km away, 17 km away from District Firozabad ...
,
Firozabad Firozabad is a city near Agra in Firozabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the centre of India's glassmaking industry and is known for the quality of the bangles and also glasswares produced there. During the reign of A ...
. He did his initial schooling from Mufid-E-Aam Inter college,
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
.He is an alumnus of the 1975 class of the
National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...
and graduate from
Agra College Agra College is an government aided college, which is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in India. Pandit Gangadhar Shastri, a noted Sanskrit scholar, founded the college in 1823, long before the first university in India was es ...
.


Career

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 Reena Roy (born Saira Ali; 7 January 1957), is an Indian actress. At the age of 15, she made her film debut with the drama ''Zaroorat'' (1972), but gained wider public recognition with her roles in the romantic comedy ''Jaise Ko Taisa'' (1973) a ...
, one of the well-known actresses of that time. He gained notoriety for his horrific portrayal of a rapist in the movie ''Insaaf Ka Taraazu'', in which he assaulted the heroine
Zeenat Aman Zeenat Khan (born 19 November 1951), better known as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and former fashion model. She first received recognition for her modelling work, and at the age of 19, went on to participate in beauty pageants, winning both ...
, 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; in ''
Nikaah In Islam, nikah is a contract between two people. Both the groom and the bride are to consent to the marriage of their own free wills. A formal, binding contract – verbal or on paper – is considered integral to a religiously valid Islami ...
'' with
Deepak Parashar Deepak Parashar (born 2 April 1952) is an Indian actor and former model. He was a contestant on ''Bigg Boss'' in 2006. Early life He was born in Pune, India on 2 April 1952 to Shobha and Vishvanath Parashar. He was married in 1985 to Sarita an ...
and
Salma Agha Salma Agha ( ur, ; born 25 October 1956) is a British singer and actress who worked in Pakistani and Indian films in the 1980s and the early 1990s. She was born in Karachi and raised in London, where she received several film offers from India ...
and in '' Aaj Ki Aawaz'' with Smita Patil. He also achieved success in Punjabi cinema as he gave remarkable performances in ''
Chann Pardesi ''Chann Pardesi'' is a Punjabi language film released in 1981. It was directed by Chitrarth Singh and starred Raj Babbar, Rama Vij, Amrish Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri. Chann Pardesi was a seminal film that debuted many future Bo ...
'' (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'' (2000), ''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 The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuru ...
'', as king Bharat, ''Bahadur Shah Zafar'' (1986), as Akbar, alongside the then debutant
Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...
, and also in his home production series; ''
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
'' (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 Vipul Amrutlal Shah (commonly known as Vipul Shah) is a film producer and director of Hindi films. He began his career with Gujarati theater. He was part/director of a number of Gujarati dramas, some of which were well received by Gujarati audie ...
, with
Rannvijay Singh Ranvijay Singh Singha is an Indian actor, television personality and VJ. Ranvijay is known for his appearance in MTV Roadies, where he won the show. He was a part of the show from 2004 to 2020, earlier as a gang leader and then as a host. He als ...
,
Adah Sharma Adah Sharma (born 11 May 1992), is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Hindi and Telugu-language films. Sharma, after finishing her schooling, made her acting debut with a leading role in the 2008 Hindi language horror film ''1920'', a box ...
and Shubhangi Latkar.


Political life

Raj Babbar entered politics by joining Janata Dal in 1989, which was led by V. P. Singh. He later joined Samajwadi Party and was elected as a Member of the Parliament of India three times. From 1994 to 1999 he was a member of the
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
. 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 Dimple Yadav (born 15 January 1978) is an Indian politician. She is the incumbent Member of Parliament from Mainpuri since December 2022, and has earlier served as Member of the Lok Sabha for two terms from Kannauj. She is the wife of Samajwadi ...
, wife of
Akhilesh Yadav Akhilesh is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Akhilesh Das (1961–2017), educationist, professor, Indian politician and philanthropist * Akhilesh K. Gaharwar (born 1982), Indian academic and Professor at Texas A&M University * ...
and daughter-in-law of
Mulayam Singh Yadav Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialist figure and the founder of the Samajwadi Party. In the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three terms as ...
. In the 2014
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
elections, he contested from
Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Mun ...
and lost to General V. K. Singh. 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. 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. Later, he regretted his comments. In July 2013, he compared
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, which also created controversy.


Personal life

Raj Babbar married Nadira Zaheer, daughter of noted theatre personality
Sajjad Zaheer Syed Sajjad Zaheer ( ur, ) (5 November 1899 – 13 September 1973) was an Indian Urdu writer, Marxist ideologue and radical revolutionary who worked in both India and Pakistan. In the pre-independence era, he was a member of the Communist ...
.
Arya Babbar Aarya Babbar is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood and Punjabi films. In 2014, Aarya participated in the eighth season of ''Bigg Boss''. Career Aarya Babbar started his film career with Raj Kanwar's ''Ab Ke Baras'' alongside Amrita R ...
and
Juhi Babbar Juhi Babbar is an Indian film and television actress. She has also contributed to theatre both as an actor and director. She is the daughter of famous Bollywood actor Raj Babbar and the second wife of Indian TV actor and anchor Anup Soni. Pers ...
are his children from Nadira. Then he married the actress Smita Patil who gave birth to their son
Prateik Babbar Prateik Babbar (born 28 November 1986) is an Indian actor and martial artist who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The son of actress Smita Patil and actor Raj Babbar, he began his career as a production assistant before pursuing an acting ...
. He has two younger brothers, Kishan and Vinod (deceased) and four younger sisters. Raj Babbar's niece Kajri Babbar is an upcoming filmmaker. 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 ''Karmyoddha'' is a 1992 Bollywood action film. It stars Raj Babbar, Dimple Kapadia in lead roles. Music Nadira Babbar wrote all the songs. #Haye Ye Ladhkiya - Amit Kumar #Jhumpak Jhumpak Tara Ra Ram - Suresh Wadkar, Alka Yagnik #Uff Ye Ky ...
'' (1992) and '' Kash Aap Hamare Hote'' (2003), and the serial ''
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (TV series) ''Maharaja Ranjit Singh'' is an Indian historical drama television series created by Raj Babbar. It was directed by Chitraarth and Sikander Bharti and produced by Nadira Babbar and Kukoo Babbar of Babbar Films Private Limited. The drama aired on ...
'' (2010).


Awards and nominations

* 1981: Nominated:
Filmfare Award for Best Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1954, presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury. This is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was firs ...
for ''
Insaaf Ka Tarazu ''Insaf Ka Tarazu'' () is a 1980 Hindi revenge drama film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra, based on the 1976 drama film ''Lipstick (1976 film), Lipstick''. The film stars Zeenat Aman, Raj Babbar, Deepak Parashar, Padmini Kolhapure, Iftekh ...
'' * 1984: Nominated:
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards star ...
for ''
Agar Tum Na Hote ''Agar Tum Na Hote'' () is a 1983 Indian Bollywood drama film directed by Lekh Tandon and starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar in leading roles. Lekh Tandon received the Best Director Award for this film in Filmfans Association of Indi ...
'' * 1985: Nominated:
Filmfare Award for Best Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1954, presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury. This is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was firs ...
for ''
Aaj Ki Awaaz ''Aaj Ki Awaaz'' () is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language action drama film produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by Ravi Chopra. The film stars Raj Babbar, Smita Patil, Nana Patekar, and Vijay Arora. The film's music is by Ravi. The film is based o ...
'' * 1994: Nominated:
Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role The Filmfare Best Villain Award was given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a negative role. Although the awards started in 1954, this cate ...
for ''
Dalaal ''Dalaal'' is a 1993 Indian action drama film produced by Prakash Mehra and directed by Partho Ghosh, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Ayesha Jhulka in lead roles; Raj Babbar as the main antagonist. The film fetched good initial box-office collecti ...
'' * 1996: Nominated:
Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role The Filmfare Best Villain Award was given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a negative role. Although the awards started in 1954, this cate ...
for '' Yaraana''


Selected acting filmography


Films


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbar, Raj India MPs 2004–2009 1952 births Indian male film actors Living people National School of Drama alumni Politicians from Agra Male actors in Bengali cinema Male actors in Hindi cinema 20th-century Indian male actors Indian actor-politicians Indian National Congress politicians Punjabi people India MPs 2009–2014 Male actors in Punjabi cinema Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh 21st-century Indian male actors United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election Samajwadi Party politicians Janata Dal politicians Rajya Sabha members from Uttarakhand India MPs 1999–2004 People from Agra People from Firozabad district