Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar has been appointed the new Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President. The three time Lok Sabha MP is set to take the mantle in the election-bound state replacing Nirmal Khatri.
Here we give his five movie performances where he has played various roles from villain to hero to victim, that he is most is most remembered for. Or not.
1. His Portrayal of a Rapist in ‘Insaaf Ka Tarazu’
Insaaf Ka Tarazu is a 1980 film where Raj Babbar gained popularity for his role as a villain who assaults the central lead. It also stars Deepak Parashar, Zeenat Aman, Padmini Kohlapure, Iftekhar, Simi Garewal, and Shreeram Lagoo.
In the film, he assaults the heroine played by Zeenat Aman and her sister only to later get killed for his actions. ‘Cuz Insaaf ka Tarazu!
2. ‘Nikaah’ With Salma Agha
Raj Babbar in this film plays the character of a poet Haider who falls in love with Niloufer, played by Salma Agha while the two are in colelge. But, Niloufer goes on to marry Wasim, played by Deepak Parasher who is shown to become a workaholic after marriage. The film tackles the issue of triple talaq when Salma’s husband divorces her by saying talaq three times. Enter good guy, Babbar, who marries his high school sweetheart that he always had a crush on.
3. ‘Agar Tum Na Hote’ With Rekha and Rajesh Khanna
Agar Tum Na Hote stars Raj Babbar, Rajesh Khanna and Rekha in a double role. Its a typical filmy drama about love being lost twice and Raj Babbar’s character is over-shadowed by Khanna’s character of Ashok Mehra who marries Purnima, played by Rekha but loses her after she gives birth to a daughter. Raj Bedi, played by Babbar is a photographer who marries a model with uncanny resemblance to Purnima. When after a tragic accident, he becomes bedridden, circumstances force Rekha to come face-to-face with Mehra.
4. ‘Ghayal’ With Sunny Deol
Ghayal is the story of Sunny Deol’s (Ajay Mehra) elder brother Raj Babbar (Ashok Mehra) getting kidnapped and killed by reputed industrialist Amrish Puri (Balwant Rai). The film is about the struggle Sunny’s character goes through when he gets framed for the murder of his brother and how he eventually extracts revenge. Babbar, although important to the script, is not a central character in the film.
5. ‘Aaj Ki Awaaz’ With Smita Patil
Aaj ki Awaz is the story of a professor (Prof. Prabhat Kumar Varma) played by Babbar who counters police apathy only to have the mafia kill his entire family. Shattered to have his world turned upside down, he takes laws into his own hands in order to fight the criminal injustice.
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