He once made the nation laugh as Rosesh Sarabhai in the iconic sitcom ‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’, but behind the comic persona, actor Rajesh Kumar was battling a deeply personal crisis. Few knew that the man behind one of television’s most beloved characters had once hit rock bottom, with just Rs 2,500 in his account and a debt of Rs 2 crore looming over his head. (News18 Hindi)
Today, Rajesh Kumar is back in the headlines, not for his misfortunes, but for his stirring performance in ‘Saiyaara’, the Mohit Suri-directed emotional drama that has grossed over Rs 400 crore globally. The film stars newcomers Ahaan Panday and Anit Padda, and Rajesh’s role as a father grappling with his daughter’s illness has been widely praised. The twist? The role hit painfully close to home, his own mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. (News18 Hindi)
But Rajesh’s journey to this comeback was anything but easy. In 2019, at the peak of his television success, Rajesh took what many considered a baffling career turn; he quit acting to pursue organic farming. “I wanted to change how people looked at farming,” he said in a recent interview, “I wanted urban youth to see it as a viable, dignified career.” (News18 Hindi)
However, the realities of farming – unseasonal rain, poor yields, and the Covid-19 pandemic – quickly turned his dream into a nightmare. “I lost everything I had saved,” Rajesh recalled, “There was a point when I couldn’t afford two chocolates for my kids. Once, I had to sell vegetables outside my son’s school.”(News18 Hindi)
The financial distress reached its peak while he was shooting in the UK for the film ‘Binny and Family’. “I had just Rs 2,500 left in my bank account,” he said, adding that despite being abroad twice for a 24-day shoot, he returned home empty-handed, unable to buy gifts for his children. (News18 Hindi)
Yet, it was this phase, those exact days of struggle, that shaped him into the actor who stunned audiences in ‘Saiyaara’. “When I had to show emotion on screen, I didn’t have to dig into imagination. I’d remember the day my crops caught fire. That pain was real,” he said. (News18 Hindi)
Rajesh credits his family for pulling him through the lowest phase of his life. “My wife and children became my biggest strength,” he said, adding that they believed in him when he was losing faith in himself. (News18 Hindi)
Today, with roaring success of ‘Saiyaara’ and a powerful performance that has brought him critical acclaim, Rajesh Kumar’s story is a testament to resilience. From financial ruin to cinematic redemption, the man once known for delivering quirky rhymes as Rosesh has proven he’s much more than a comic sidekick. (News18 Hindi)
