Zahur Raja

Zahur Raja was an actor, producer, director and singer in Indian and Pakistan Cinema. He was known for his roles in films Mirza Sahiban (1939), Pooja (1940), Sikandar (1941), Badil (1942), Sewa (1942), Mazaaq (1943), O Panchhi (1944), Panchhi (1944), Bhai (1944), Ghazal (1945), Anmol Ghadi (1946).

He was born in Abbottabad in Pathan family on July 7, 1918 during British India.^[1] His family's patriarchy was given Raja title by the British government and then it became their last name which his family used and he also used Raja as his last name. His siblings included one brother and two sisters. Zahur stayed at Abbottabad until his teens after he passed his matric and then he went to study at Government Gordon College at Rawalpindi.^[1] He was good at sports in college and he was the champion discus-thrower at his college but he was interested in acting.^[1]

At college he was a member of Dramatic Society and acted well that his principle noticed his talent and later he wrote in his final report that he recommended Zahur to film business.^[1] During his college days he used to send letters and pictures of himself to different directors hoping to get in to acting but he would get a reply but none would then contact him. Later his father send him to Dehradun to become a lieutenant in the Indian Army but Zahur went to Bombay.^[2]

He went to Abdur Rashid Kardar with a letter which he sent during his college days. Director Kardar then hired him in Kardar Productions later he cast Zahur in lead role in Punjabi film Mirza Sahiban with popular actress Zubeida and Sahiba it was a hit movie at the box office.^[2] Then V. Shantaram took Zahur at Prabhat Film Company and he signed a contract for three years.^[2]

Due to some reasons he had trouble with the film story to understand and so he wasn't able to act in the picture and he didn't got work for ten months then director Kardar took Zahur to National Studios and he immediately cast Zahur in lead role in his film Pooja.^[2] The story, inspired by The Old Maid (1939) by Warner Pictures, was about sisters and his role was of Darpan a rejected suitor of the older sister and later rapes the youngest sister who gets pregnant, starring with Sardar Akhtar and Sitara Devi the film was a massive hit and he also made his debut as a singer in the film.^[3][4]

Then he got many offers by many companies and then joined Minerva Movietone. He worked in lead roles in film Sikandar the film was directed by Sohrab Modi and written by Sudarshan starring with Meena Shorey, K. N. Singh, Vanamala and Prithviraj Kapoor the film was a massive hit at box office.^[2] After the success of his three films then he signed a contract with Ashok Pictures and worked in film Sewa.^[5] Then he learned directing and started his own production company with the help of Mr R. S. Lakhani who was his financing partner.

In 1942 he directed his productions film Badil in which he also acted and later he directed film Khayyam which was about a Persian poet.^[2]

He first married his co-star actress Meena Shorey in 1941. They met during film Sikandar and it was a first love for both of them but the marriage didn't last long and it ended in divorce in 1942.^[6] Later Zahur then married a Children's radio host at BBC in England in 1956 and had four children.^[7]

He died at Lahore in August 1993 at aged 75.^[7]

• Zahur Raja at IMDb