Raza Murad recalls how Raj Kapoor rediscovered him as a villain with ‘Prem Rog’

Veteran actor Raza Murad credited filmmaker Raj Kapoor with transforming his career as a villain through Prem Rog (1982). He later played prominent antagonists in Ram Teri Ganga Maili and Henna, expressing gratitude for three consecutive films under RK Films

Mumbai: Veteran actor Raza Murad has recalled how legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor gave a new direction to his career as a villain by casting him in the 1982 film ‘Prem Rog.’ The actor also reflected on his association with the prestigious RK Films banner, under which he went on to play prominent antagonist roles in three consecutive productions.

Taking to social media, Raza shared memories of his journey in Hindi cinema, crediting Raj Kapoor with rediscovering his potential as a villain. Recalling his role as Thakur Virendra Pratap Singh of Sumergan in ‘Prem Rog,’ Raza wrote, “My first movie as a villain. Raj Kapoor rediscovered me as a baddie, Thakur Virendra Pratap Singh of Sumergan, in his magnum opus ‘Prem Rog’ in 1982, then again in ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ (1985), and the rest is history.

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Never looked back after that.” Raza’s third film under the banner was ‘Henna’ (1991), in which he portrayed Shahbaaz Khan, a scheming Pakistani police officer. Reflecting on the opportunity to play the principal antagonist in three successive productions from the prestigious banner, the actor expressed gratitude for the experience.

‘Henna’ was the third film under the RK banner, in which I played a scheming Pakistani police officer, Shahbaaz Khan. I consider myself very lucky to have played the main villain in three consecutive films under the prestigious RK banner,” added Raza.

Over the years, Raza Murad has established himself as a familiar face in Hindi cinema, particularly through his portrayal of antagonists’ characters. He is widely known for his stints in films such as ‘Prem Rog’, ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili,’ ‘Tridev,’ ‘Henna,’ ‘Aankhen,’ ‘Mohra,’ ‘Gupt: The Hidden Truth,’ ‘Jodhaa Akbar,’ ‘Bajirao Mastani,’ ‘Padmaavat,’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi.’ Raza Murad was last seen in the Hindi television series “Megha Barsenge.”

Recently, he made headlines for slamming Bollywood superstars for their absence at the funeral of veteran actor Mushtaq Khan, who died on September 24. In a strongly worded video message, Murad questioned why prominent faces from the film industry did not turn up to pay their last respects to Khan, who had dedicated nearly five decades to Hindi cinema.