Bollywood's 'most typecast actor' did the same role in 144 films, gave a dozen blockbusters but never became a star

Success in the film world often creates formula. Tom Cruise was seen as a promising dramatic actor before Mission Impossible turned him into an action star. Closer home, Shah Rukh Khan was typecast as the 'king of romance' for years despite his own attempts to break the type. But while these actors still managed to be at the pinnacle of their industries, there was one who was typecast so strongly that his career was defined by just one role, which he repeated in over 100 films. This is the story of the man who is arguably Bollywood's most typecast actor. (Also read: Jagdish Raj always played an endearing policeman: Mahesh Bhatt)

The man who played the same role in 144 films

Jagdish Raj Khurana, known in the film circles as just Jagdish Raj, was an actor who worked in over 200 films from the 1950s to the early 2000s. In his near-50-year career, he played everything from a villain to second lead, but found his true fit in a cop's role. Jagdish Raj played a policeman in 144 different films over 46 years. This achievement also earned him a spot in the Limca Book of Records for playing one role the most number of times. Some reports claim that he was also in the Guinness Book of World Records, but the record book has not recognised this claim yet. Still, Jagdish Raj embraced his typecast and worked as a cop in numerous films, both big and small.

Jagdish Raj's career

Born in 1928 in Punjab, Jagdish Raj began his acting career in 1955 with the film, Seema, where he had a small role as a doctor. The following year, he played a cop for the first time in CID. The success of the film boosted his career and several other roles of police inspector came his way. He worked in hits like Madhumati, Kala Bazar, Waqt, Bhoot Bungla, Johnny Mera Naam, and Bobby over the next 15 years, largely playing a cop in almost all his films. In the 70s, he experimented with other roles, playing a gangster in Deewar and a dacoit in Zameer.

He then resumed playing police officers in hits like Trishul, Don, Kaala Patthar, and Shakti. Over the course of his career, Jagdish Raj appeared in over a dozen blockbusters and several other hits. But he could never reap the benefits of those successes as he was always relegated to cameos and small parts.

By the 1980s and 90s, Jagdish Raj had been promoted to senior police officers, playing DSPs and DIGs instead of just Inspectors. His final role was as a senior police officer in the 2001 release Kasam, following which he retired from films. Jagdish Raj died in 2013 at the age of 84. His daughter Anita Raj is a popular actor herself.