In the golden era of Bollywood, few on-set stories remain as fiery and dramatic as the clash between Dharmendra and the late Raaj Kumar. The incident took place during the shooting of the 1965 film Kajal, where tensions between the two actors reached a boiling point and briefly brought the production to a halt.
It all began when Raaj Kumar reportedly made a disparaging remark about Dharmendra’s well-built physique. Looking toward director Ram Maheshwari, he allegedly joked, questioning whether an actor or a wrestler was needed for the role. Although Dharmendra was visibly offended, he chose to stay quiet at first.
However, the situation escalated when Raaj Kumar is said to have crossed a line by calling Dharmendra a ‘monkey’ and bursting into laughter. Unable to hold back any longer, Dharmendra responded physically by grabbing Raaj Kumar by the collar. The crew had to intervene to separate the two and calm the situation before it spiraled further.
Following the altercation, Raaj Kumar stormed off the set and refused to shoot, forcing a temporary suspension of the film’s production. Fortunately, cooler heads eventually prevailed. Both actors agreed to put the incident behind them and resumed work, allowing the film to be completed without further incident.
Despite the rocky behind-the-scenes drama, Kajal went on to be a commercial success. The film featured a star-studded cast, including Meena Kumari, Padmini, Mumtaz, and Helen. While the audience saw only the polished final product, the real-life clash between two towering figures of Hindi cinema remains an enduring reminder of the human passions that sometimes flare behind the camera.
