Renowned producer Raaj Grover, producer of Taaqat and Thikana, dies at the age of 87
In a shocking turn of events, Raaj Grover left for his heavenly abode at the age of 87. The veteran producer passed away on June 4 in his New Jersey’s Old Bridge residence. He reportedly died peacefully in his sleep and wasn’t dealing with any health issues lately. Read on for more details.
Raaj Grover is no more
The Arya producer moved to the USA several years back but had been visiting India on time and occasion to catch up with his friends from the industry. A lively person by heart, Grover’s laughter in all his conversations is etched in his admirers’ hearts. His signature statement, “Grover never over” will surely never get off our memory.
On the work front, Raaj was best known to have bankrolled 1982’s Vinod Khanna and Parveen Babi starrer film Taaqat which was directed by Narendra Bedi. He also jointly bankrolled the 1987 film Thikana with Paul Arora and V.B. Soni. It starred Anil Kapoor and Smita Patil in the lead roles alongside Amrita Singh, Satish Kaushik, Anupam Kher, Suresh Oberoi, Rohini Hattangadi, and Avtar Gill playing important parts.
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Raaj Grover had also backed the 2003 psychological thriller Arya starring Manan Katohora, Manvi Dhoopar, Pooja Mohindra, and Rajan Gangahar among others. Remember Sunil Dutt’s 11976 film Nehle Peh Dehlaa? Raaj was also a co-producer in it.
Directed by Raj Khosla, Nehle Peh Dehlaa also starred Saira Banu, Vinod Khanna, Bindu, Premnath, Ranjeet, Trilok Kapoor, and Dev Kumar among others. In 2018, he also released a book titled The Legends Of Bollywood which was a compelling collection of memoirs and stories about the who’s who of Bollywood.
The book included stories from yesteryear stars including a trip to Amitabh Bachchan’s first screen test, Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi’s baptism into Johnny Walker, Dharmendra’s journey from a tractor driver to a legendary actor, and Dimple Kapadia’s iconic comeback into the industry.
Raaj Grover who was once a production-in-charge at Mumbai’s Ajanta Arts (owned by Sunil Dutt) witnessed celebrated births, lamented deaths, secret romances, and controversial moments that he chronicled in his book. It also included several never-before-seen pictures and stories pulled from Grover’s memories.
RIP Raaj Grover. Our heart goes out to all his family, friends, and admirers.
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