Director

Rajkumar Kohli

Rajkumar Kohli was a prolific Bollywood director who carved out a four-decade career delivering some of the industry's most entertaining masala films. Born in Lahore in 1930, Kohli got his start in the early 1960s and quickly found his stride with crowd-pleasing hits like Lootera (1965) and the cult classic Nagin (1976). He became known for assembling powerhouse ensemble casts featuring heavy hitters like Dharmendra, Jeetendra, and Shatrughan Sinha alongside actresses like Reena Roy and Anita Raj. His filmography reads like a who's-who of 1970s and 80s Bollywood action cinema, with titles like Jaani Dushman (1979), Badle Ki Aag (1982), and Naukar Biwi Ka (1983) becoming fixtures in the masala movie canon. Kohli's directorial style was unapologetically over-the-top—he specialized in high-octane action sequences, dramatic twists, and theatrical storytelling that prioritized entertainment above all else. His influence on Bollywood's action-adventure genre can't be overstated; he helped define what audiences expected from big, bombastic commercial cinema during the industry's golden era. In the 1990s, Kohli began directing his son Armaan Kohli, launching him in films like Virodhi (1992) and Qahar (1997). His final directorial venture, Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002), was an ambitious attempt to recapture his 70s glory but unfortunately missed the mark commercially. Kohli passed away in November 2023 at 93, leaving behind