A 25-year-old gave two blockbusters in a single year, much before Shah Rukh, Amitabh, Salman, or Prabhas achieved this feat.
Shah Rukh Khan saw his renaissance in 2023 with the back-to-back success of Pathaan and Jawan. With this, he became the first Indian actor to headline two films that grossed Rs 1000 crore in the same calenar year. But Shah Rukh wasn’t the first to give two blockbusters in a year. That was something that was done for the first time just after the Indian independence. And this was done by a young 25-year-old actor.
The first Bollywood star with two blockbusters in a year
The year was 1949. Black and white films still ruled the roost. Raj Kapoor was already an established actor in Bollywood with films like Aag and Neel Kamal under his belt, but hadn’t quite become a big star. But it was all about to change. The year saw four of his films hit the theatre – Andaz, Sunehre Din, Parivartan, and Barsaat. While Parivartan and Sunehre Din did not fare too well at the box office, the other two were blockbusters.
How Raj Kapoor gave back-to-back highest grossers
Andaz, directed by Mehboob Khan, was a love triangle also starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis. The film made over Rs 1.5 crore at the box office, breaking Kismet’s record to become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. The record lasted just a few weeks though. In April, Barsaat was released and it became the first Indian film to gross Rs 2 crore, becoming the new highest-grosser, a record it held for eight years before being toppled by Mother India in 1957.
How Raj Kapoor’s career ended
Raj Kapoor went on to become a superstar in the 50s and 60s, starring in and directing some of the most memorable films of Indian cinema. His penchant for creating a spectacle with his films earned him the moniker of ‘Showman of the Millennium’. But by the late-70s, his star was waning. He was starring in films that were bombing at the box office. The 80s saw him star in seven back-to-back flops – Naukri, Ramu To Diwana Hai, Abdullah, Biwi O Biwi, Gopichand Jasoos, Vakil Babu, and Kim. Sadly, these were his last on screen appearances. Raj Kapoor passed away in 1988 at the age of 64.
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 "The first star to give two blockbusters a year (Image: Timeless Indian Melodies)")
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