Raj Kapoor was the ‘automatic rifle’ to Dilip Kumar’s ‘old gun’, boys from Peshawar who made Bollywood; rivals who ‘hated to see each other fail’

Becoming a movie star is like a lottery; one never knows who might hit the jackpot, but they do know that the chances of actually becoming one are minimal. While people can work hard to become a star, it is not always up to them to actually be one. And just in case, one actually achieves what they have dreamed of, it is almost fantastical to imagine that the childhood friend they grew up with has achieved the same level of stardom as them. But this is what happened in the case of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. Born just two years apart, the two grew up in Peshawar with their families being friends as well. They went to the same college, found themselves working at the same studio in those early years, and achieved similar levels of success in their profession. Their friendship had a good dosa