Often hailed as one of them Indian cinemabest actors Raj Kumar he was known not only for his powerful screen presence but also for his eccentric personality. His conversations are still remembered today. In a recent interview, filmmaker KC Bokadia recently shared some memories of working with the legendary actor. He revealed that it was even more difficult than working with Raaj Kumar Amitabh Bachchan.The mouthful recalled an unusual habit of Raaj Kumar. “His dog’s name was Jaani. So he called everyone ‘Jaani’. Fortunately, he never called me by that name and only addressed me as ‘Bokadia saab’,” he said in an interview to IndiaTV. The filmmaker also shared how he cast the actor in ‘Polizia Aur Mujrim’ at the last moment, a day before the film’s muhurat shoot. “I called him on the phone one evening. We planned the muhurat shoot for the next day. If he doesn’t know the person’s face, he won’t do the film. The story is second nature to him. As soon as I picked up the phone, I said, ‘Raaj saab, let me share a line with you’. He agreed. Handling him was tougher than handling Bachchan saab. Yes, Bachchan is a calculating person, but Raaj saab was moody,” shared Bokadia.Elaborating further, he added, “It’s easy to explain things to a calculating person. But when it comes to a moody person, sometimes it depends on his mood. A cow can give milk if it wants to, otherwise it won’t. After hearing my scene description, he said it was good. I immediately asked him to do the film. His answer was that he could not say no to me.”Bokadia also revealed how their discussion soon shifted to fees, where the actor offered Raaj Kumar more money than what he initially demanded. “I asked him how much he wanted. ‘How much did you pay me last time?’ he asked, and I replied, ‘Rs 21 lakh’. He asked me for a higher amount. I told him 23 lakhs, he asked for 24 lakhs and I immediately offered him 25 lakhs. Along with that, I asked him for one more favor and asked him to join the project the very next day, as the muhurat was to be done the day after.“Although the request surprised the veteran actor, Bokadia finally convinced him to appear for the shoot. “He asked me how we were going to prepare the outfits at such short notice. I said, ‘You’ve been wearing the same look for the last 25-30 years, so why do we need new clothes? I just want the muhurat shot to be yours’.”Interestingly, Raaj Kumar appeared wearing the same yellow coat for the muhurat shot that he wore in the song ‘Neele Gagan Ke Tale’ from the BR Chopra-directed Hamraaz.
