Raaj Kumar threw a fistful of gulaal in arch-rival Dilip Kumar’s eyes despite being asked not to multiple times; Saudagar set came to a standstill

The incident made everyone present on the set uncomfortable. “Raaj Kumar continued smoking while there was a pin-drop silence,” he recalled. Finally, the two actors were ready to shoot the scene. “He was supposed to grab a pinch of the colour and throw it near Dilip saab’s face. But Raaj Kumar grabbed a fistful of gulaal from the thali that I was holding and threw it on Dilip Kumar’s face with full force. He recoiled in shock, he seemed to be in pain, and he rubbed his eyes. He stormed off. Subhash ji (Subhash Ghai) immediately shouted, ‘Lights off!’ Raaj Kumar, who stood there exclaimed, ‘Pack up!’ There was no way Dilip saab was coming back to the set again,” narrated Prashant, who was last seen in Netflix’s Mai.

Subhash Ghai, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar on the sets of Saudagar. (Express Archive Photos)

Adding some more context, he said, “There was constant friction between the two actors and it was a crazy feeling because you’re in the middle of these two actors.”

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For the unversed, the famous rivalry started when Raaj Kumar slapped Dilip too hard while shooting a scene for Ramanand Sagar’s 1959 film Paigham. This incident led to a rift between the two actors, and Dilip decided never to work with his contemporaries again. Despite their animosity, Raaj Kumar and Dilip Kumar delivered powerful performances in Saudagar, and the film went on to become a commercial success.

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During an interview with News18 recently, Subhash Ghai opened up about how he used the ‘ego massage’ technique to get them to work together. “When I found out that Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar weren’t on good terms, I used only one formula. I would tell Dilip saab that Raaj saab was praising him, and I would tell Raaj saab that Dilip saab was praising him. So, when they came together, they’d meet with positivity, and the job would get done (sic),” he said.