While cine lovers have been divided since the last few years over the existence of nepotism in Bollywood, it is crucial to note that there have been some star kids who could not make a mark in the industry despite their parents’ status. One such actor who may come to mind is the dashing Kumar Gaurav, who faded into oblivion after delivering a hit with his debut film. Kumar Gaurav is the son of the late yesteryear star Rajendra Kumar, who was known for his movies running for 25 weeks at the box office. This earned him the moniker Jubilee Kumar.
While audiences wrote off Kumar Gaurav even after a promising debut, it is interesting to note that his father Rajendra Kumar had also written him off even before his first film. Rajendra Kumar did not think his son had in him to be an actor. After completing his education, when Kumar Gaurav told his father that he wanted to be an actor, Rajendra Kumar said that he had to go through a screen test to prove his skills.
Kumar Gaurav agreed but failed his screen test. Rajendra Kumar told his son that he could not be a hero. Kumar Gaurav turned to assist in direction, most notably assisting Raj Kapoor during Satyam Shivam Sundaram. However, Kumar Gaurav still nurtured in himself a desire to act. His father arranged another screen test for him, this time in RK Studios, in the presence of Raj Kapoor himself. However, Kumar Gaurav got nervous seeing Raj Kapoor in front of him and could not utter a word, leaving his father furious with him.
It was then that Raj Kumar suggested Rajendra Kumar to have his son learn acting professionally and Kumar Gaurav studied at Roshan Taneja’s acting school for six months. He then debuted with Love Story in 1981 opposite Vijeta Pandit, another debutante. The film was a major success and Kumar Gaurav was touted to be the next big thing. However, all subsequent releases like Naam, All-rounder and Janam failed at the box office. Kumar Gaurav could never replicate his success. He later appeared as one of the many protagonists in Sanjay Gupta’s Kaante but even that did not help his career. Reportedly Kumar Gaurav had even mortgaged his bungalow to produce a film for his son but it failed too.
