Santosh Kumar

Biography

Syed Musa Abbas Raza (Urdu: سیّد مُوسٰی عبّاس رضا; 25 December 1925 – 11 June 1982), popularly known as Santosh Kumar (Urdu: سنتوش کُمار), was a legendary Pakistani film actor and one of the most prominent stars of the 1950s and 1960s. He belonged to an Urdu-speaking family from Lahore, Pakistan. His brother Darpan was also a well-known film actor, while another brother, S. Suleman, was a respected film director.

Born in Lahore in 1925 (then British India), Santosh Kumar was highly educated and graduated from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He passed the Indian Civil Services (ICS) examination and was awaiting a government posting when a friend persuaded him to pursue a career in cinema instead. Following the Partition of India in 1947, he migrated to Lahore, Pakistan.

Because of his education and diplomatic demeanor, Santosh Kumar often represented Pakistan at international film-related gatherings, earning him the informal title of the “Foreign Minister of the Pakistani Film Industry,” a fact he shared in a Radio Pakistan interview during the mid-1960s.

Santosh Kumar was initially married to Jamila Begum and later married renowned actress Sabiha Khanum on 1 October 1958. He made history by winning the first-ever Nigar Award for Best Actor for Waada (1957), followed by additional Best Actor awards in 1962 and 1963. In recognition of his contributions to Pakistani cinema, he was posthumously awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2010.

A multifaceted artist, Shaam Dhalay (1960), remains the only film he produced, directed, and starred in as the lead actor. Santosh Kumar passed away on 11 June 1982.

Widely regarded as Pakistan’s first romantic film hero, Santosh Kumar was a contemporary superstar alongside Sudhir. He began his film career in India with Ahinsa (1947). His first Pakistani film was Beli (1950), and in the same year, he starred in Do Ansoo (1950), Pakistan’s first silver jubilee Urdu film, cementing his legacy in the country’s cinematic history.