Home > Entertainment > Indian Movies > P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj was the most popular choreographer of Bollywood during 1960 and 70s who popularized fast paced and cabaret dancing genres in Hindi cinema. Apart form Bollywood, his works also encompassed regional cinema including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Punjabi.

Share this Article:

P. L. Raj, Indian ChoreographerP. L. Raj, born as Devraj Peter Lewis, was an acclaimed Indian choreographer who worked primarily for Bollywood films. In the period of 1960 and 70s he was the leading choreographer of Hindi film industry and played an important role in popularizing the cabaret and fast paced dancing styles. He was best known for his works with famed actors like Shammi Kapoor, Helen and Amitabh Bachchan and choreographing popular dance sequences in Bollywood flicks like Don, Sholay, Intaquam, Teesri Manzil and Junglee. Apart form Bollywood he had also worked as a choreographer in regional film industries including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Punjabi cinemas.

Early Life of P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj was born on 10th August 1934 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He grew up in the city of Hyderabad but ran away to Mumbai at the age of 10. He was born with name Devraj Peter Lewis but after entering the film industry he changed it to P. L. Raj. He received his dance training from Surya Kumar and Krishan Kumar, the dancing duo who used to train actors in Mumbai. They themselves were trained by Azoorie, a well known dancer of Hindi film industry in the early era.

Career of P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj started his dancing career in the early 1950s in Bollywood. The phase was marked by the fading out of slow dance sequences and emergence of fast paced rhythms in Hindi cinema. Western dance also gained prominence in Indian cinema during this period. P. L. Raj, Indian ChoreographerHe stepped in the industry as a background dancer but later got involved in assisting choreographer Krishna Kumar in the films. He had also learnt dance from Krishna Kumar earlier. P. L. Raj got his first independent project in the year 1959 with the movie Love Marriage starring Mala Sinha and Dev Anand. Subsequently he worked as a choreographer in various other films like Gumnaam, Saagar, Intaquam, Sholay, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Sargam, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Shagird and many more. Some of the famous dance sequences choreographed by P. L. Raj include "Aaja Aaja Mein Hoon Pyar Tera", "Deewana Mujhsa Nahin", "Dafliwale Dafli Baja" and "Salaam-e-Ishq". In 1960s and 70s he was accredited as the most successful choreographer of Bollywood.

P. L. Raj also owned the credit of making cabaret a prominent part of Hindi films. The famous Bollywood actress and dancer Helen gained huge popularity in this genre through the choreography of P. L. Raj. He choreographed popular dance numbers like "O Haseena Zulfonwali" (Teesri Manzil), "Aa Jaane Jaan" (Intaquam) and "Yeh Mera Dil" (Don) featuring Helen. In the Bollywood blockbuster film Sholay, he crafted dance for songs like "Mehbooba O Mehbooba" starring Helen and "Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin" featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. In the latter he included a number of tricky bike movements too. In the hit songs "Khaike Pan Banaraswala" from Don and "Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai" from Kaalia he choreographed Amitabh Bachchan and established his signature moves. Apart form these, he had also worked in regional film industries of India as a successful choreographer. In the year 2001 P. L. Raj was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for technical excellence.

Personal Life of P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj was married to Devyani and had a son named Leslie and two daughters named Eliz and Greta. His son Leslie Lewis is a famed music composer and is a member of Colonial Cousins a musical duo.

Death of P. L. Raj
P. L. Raj died at the age of 67 due to cardiac arrest on 9th July 2002 at his home in Mahim, Mumbai. On his death condolence was expressed by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Indian Movies


3D Films in India
3D films in India have gradually marked a prominent presence in the Indian film industry with the advancing technology. The movie Chota Chetan was the first 3D film of India which was followed many others in Hindi as well as regional film industries.
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director is awarded to the music director who composes the most soulful and audience appealing music album for a Hindi film of the preceding year.
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut is awarded to the debutante actress who gives the most impressive performance in her debut Hindi film and shows a promising presence in Bollywood.
Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer is awarded to the best female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song.
Arundhati Devi
Arundhati Devi is considered as one of the most independent minded, educated and forceful women in the history of Bengali cinema who was a multidimensional talent from being a director to actress.
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer is given by Filmfare to the singer who gives the most pleasant and melodious male voice to a song of a film in the previous year.
Filmfare Award For Best Actor
The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is presented by Filmfare every year to the actor who portrays his character and performs the role in a film with most commendable finesse.