Daughter of late veteran actor Jagdish Raaj, who played a cop in over 140 Hindi films, Anita Raaj was born on August 13, 1962. Anita Raaj, who has enjoyed a flourishing film career in the '80s, is now fondly known as television show Choti Sarrdaarni's 'Mummyji' aka Kulwant Kaur, a strong and fiery matriarch whose political ambitions take precedence over her family's wishes. (All pictures/mid-day archives and Anita Raaj's official Instagram account)
In picture: (L) Jagdish Raaj and (R) Anita Raaj with brother Bobby Raaj.
Anita Raaj made her acting debut with the 1981 Hindi film Prem Geet. Anita starred opposite Raaj Babbar in the film that became a hit at the box office. Remember the song Hotho Se Chulo Tum? Well, the song was the highlight of Prem Geet.
Anita Raaj went on to bag films with big stars such as Jeetendra, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Rakesh Roshan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, et al.
In picture: Anita Raaj shared this picture on her social media page and captioned it: Keep fit with Anita Raaj since 1989 #throwback [sic]
Anita Raaj featured in popular films in the '80s like Naukar Biwi Ka, Clerk, Masterji, Zara Si Zindagi, Jaan Ki Baazi, Jameen Aasmaan, Lakhon Ki Baat, to name a few.
In picture: A young Anita with her Pyaar Kiya Hai, Pyaar Karenge co-star Padmini Kolhapure.
In picture: Anita Raaj shared this picture of one of the commercials she was a brand ambassador of during the peak of her career. She wrote in the caption, "Going through some classics. Thought I'll share it with you all...#BlastFromThePast #BeautySecret [sic]"
In a span of over 10 years - 1982 to 1992, Anita Raaj has been part of approximately 75 films. That's a different record altogether, isn't it?
In picture: Anita Raaj shared this poster of her film Zameen Aasmaan, co-starring Sanjay Dutt. She wrote in the caption, "One of my favourite movies with my most amazing co-star, all-time favourite Sanjay Dutt"
In 1986, Anita Raaj married filmmaker-doctor Sunil Hingorani. Though she did not quit the entertainment industry completely after marriage, Anita did take breaks, as and when, as per her convenience.
In 1989, Anita Raaj embraced motherhood as she gave birth to her son Shivam Hingorani. Anita posted this throwback picture in 2019, with her husband and son. She wrote in the caption, "Today is the most special day of our lives as our son has grown to be the most wonderful, dynamic gorgeous, humble, compassionate all grown-up man of 30. We always thank the almighty for giving you to us. You have always filled our lives with your love for us in your own innocent way. Time has just flown by enduringly with your most endearing presence in our lives. Work hard and shine like a beacon in your workplace. Son, our blessings are always with you"
Anita Raaj's son Shivam has served as assistant director on films like Agneepath and Ye Jawani Hain Deewani. Like father, like son! Sunil Hingorani has two films to his credits as a director - Karishma Kudrat Kaa and Ram Avtar in the 80s.
Talking about Anita Raaj, the actress, who has now become popular amongst the millennials as Mummyji, aka Kulwant Kaur, from Choti Sarrdaarni, has been part of the television industry since the 90s. She featured in 1998's TV show Aashiqui, Eena Meena Deeka (2000) which also saw veteran actresses Reena Roy and Asha Sachdev.
Other television shows that Anita Raaj was part of were - Tumhari Pakhi (2013-2014), Anil Kapoor's 24 (2013-2016) as Naina Singhania, Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani (2015) as Rajmata Priyamvada and Maya (2018).
In picture: As can be seen in the picture, Anita loves seafood. "My favourite place when I'm not shooting is the fish market. Best food rice, dal, fish fry [sic]," Anita captioned this photo.
The svelte 50-plus Raaj is a regular at a Bandra club. One glance at her Instagram page and you know why we say so. "Fitness is a way of life for me. I can't see myself not hitting the gym every day. I get up early in the morning, work out, and only then do I leave for the shoot. I strongly believe that it is never too late to respect and nourish your body. It is very important to love your body and take proper care of it to avoid any sort of health issue," said Anita, is setting fitness goals for fans at 58.
"My fitness mantra is to eat healthy and workout as per your body type. I urge my fans to use this time to detox their mind, body, and soul. There is nothing greater than working out, so take weight training sessions, do planks, sit-ups, yoga, pranayam, meditation, at and at the same time please drink lots and lots of water. Lastly, I would like to tell my fans that a healthy body is a healthy mind. Your body is your temple so please look after it, as it is never too late," added Anita.
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