{{short description|Indian and Pakistani actor (1941 - 2016)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Ratan Kumar | birth_date = 19 March 1941 | birth_place = Ajmer, Rajputana, British India | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2016|12|12|1941|3|19}} | death_place = California, US | occupation = Film actor | years_active = 1948 &ndash; 1969 }} '''Ratan Kumar''' (19 March 1941 &ndash; 12 December 2016)<ref name=Tribune>{{cite web|title=Ratan Kumar: Pakistan's famous child actor of the 1950s passes away|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1261787/ratan-kumar-pakistans-famous-child-actor-1950s-passes-away/|author=Rahul Aijaz|date=13 December 2016|publisher=The Express Tribune (newspaper)|accessdate=9 May 2022}}</ref> was the screen name of the Indian born child artist who later migrated to Pakistan. He acted in Indian and Pakistani movies. He was born as Syed Nazir Ali Rizvi. He is best known for his work in films ''Boot Polish'' (1954),<ref>{{cite web|title=Revisiting Boot Polish: A beautiful celebration of sibling love|url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/revisiting-boot-polish-a-beautiful-celebration-of-sibling-love/20160818.htm|work=Rediff.com|access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref> ''Do Bigha Zamin'' (1953)<ref>{{cite web|title=Do Bigha Zameen|url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/may/09dinesh.htm|website=Rediff.com website|access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref> and ''Jagriti'' (1954).<ref>[http://www.hindigeetmala.net/movie/jagriti.htm, Film 'Jagriti' (1954) on hindigeetmala.net website] Retrieved 9 May 2022</ref><ref name=citwf/>

==Early life and career== Ratan Kumar was born as Syed Nazir Ali in 1941 in British India. He became the most-sought-after child-actor in India in the 1950s after his initial success in 1952.<ref name=Tribune/> After making the popular Indian movie ''Jagriti'' (1954), Ratan Kumar migrated to Pakistan in 1956, with his family, and remade the movie into ''Bedari'' (1957) (Urdu translation of Jagriti or awareness) and used the same old tune for a film song in Pakistan, aimed at igniting a similar emotion and patriotic zeal, among the listeners. ''Aao bachcho tumhe dikhayen jhaanki Hindustan ki...'' (come children let us show you glimpses of India), is a popular Hindi film song of the 1950s. ''Aao bachcho sair karayen tumko Pakistan ki...'' (children, let us take you on a tour of Pakistan) is an equally hit song of the same period in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gandhi replaced with Jinnah: The story of how an ode to India was plagarised in Pakistan|url=https://scroll.in/article/771358/gandhi-replaced-with-jinnah-the-story-of-how-an-ode-to-india-was-plagarised-in-pakistan|website=Scroll.in website|date=28 December 2015 |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref>

He played a young boy's role in many Pakistani films later. ''Nagin'' (1959) was the first Pakistani film he played a lead actor opposite Neelo as the lead actress.<ref name=Tribune/> Ratan Kumar's success, as a lead actor, could not last long because his later films did not do well at the box-office and he eventually faded away.<ref name=Tribune/>

In 1977, his 4 years old daughter died in an accident in Lahore, Pakistan. He was so emotionally upset after that accident that he decided to quit the Pakistani film industry. In 1979, Ratan Kumar left Pakistan never to return again.<ref name=Tribune/>

In the late 1960s, Ratan Kumar also got into the business of selling oriental carpets and had started travelling back and forth from Pakistan to Europe for this business. Eventually he ended up settling down permanently in the United States after 1979.<ref name=Tribune/>

==Death== Ratan Kumar was living in California, in his old age, and was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia 10 days before his death on 12 December 2016.<ref name=Tribune/><ref name=pakmag>{{cite web|url=http://pakfilms.net/artists/details.php?pid=3121|archive-date=19 June 2017|access-date=9 May 2022|url-status=dead|date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619073239/http://pakfilms.net/artists/details.php?pid=3121 |title=Profile of Ratan Kumar|website=Pakistan Film Magazine website}}</ref> He had a long history of illness, though. In 1996, his lungs had collapsed twice in the same year. When they collapsed the third time in 2000, he was left paralyzed and went into a coma for eight days. Then he recovered in four to five months and became somewhat normal again. His survivors include 2 sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.<ref name=Tribune/>

==Filmography== ===In India=== * ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952)- Ratan Kumar played the role of the child, 'Chote Baiju'<ref name=Tribune/> * ''Do Bigha Zamin'' (1953) * ''Boot Polish'' (1954)- A film on street kids of Bombay. Ratan Kumar played the role of child * ''Angarey'' (1954) * ''Jagriti'' (1954)<ref name=citwf/> * ''Bahut Din Huwe'' (1954) - Madhubala, Ratan Kumar, Agha * '' Sargam '' (1950) - Raj Kapoor, Rehana, Ratan Kumar, Baby Tabassum * '' Afsana '' (1951) - Ashok Kumar, Veena, Pran. Ratan Kumar, Baby Tabassum

===In Pakistan=== * ''Masoom'' (1957) - Ratan Kumar's first released film in Pakistan<ref name=Tribune/><ref name=citwf/> * ''Bedari'' (1957)<ref name=pakmag/><ref name=citwf/> * ''Wah Re Zamaney'' (1958)<ref name=citwf>{{cite web|url=http://www.citwf.com/person502722.htm|archive-date=23 December 2016|date=1 November 2015|website=Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website|access-date=9 May 2022|url-status=dead|title=Filmography of Ratan Kumar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223132459/http://www.citwf.com/person502722.htm}}</ref> * ''Nagin'' (1959)- as a lead actor for the first time. A successful Golden Jubilee film at the box-office<ref name=Tribune/><ref name=pakmag/> * ''Clerk'' (1960) * ''Aladdin Ka Beta'' (1960)<ref name=citwf/> * ''Do Ustaad'' (1960) * ''Sher-e-Islam'' (1961) * ''Taj Aur Talwar'' (1961)<ref name=citwf/> * ''Aasra'' (1969) * ''Dastaan'' (1969)<ref name=pakmag/><ref name=citwf/>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|2727823|Ratan Kumar}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Ratan}} Category:1941 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Indian male film actors Category:Pakistani male film actors Category:Indian male child actors Category:Pakistani emigrants to the United States Category:Indian emigrants to Pakistan Category:People from Ajmer Category:Pakistani people of Rajasthani descent