Rajesh Khanna (
pronunciation (help·info) born: Jatin Khanna;[1] 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012, Amritsar, Punjab, India)) was a Bollywood actor, film producer and politician. He was referred to as the "first superstar"[2] and the "original superstar" of Indian cinema.[3] He earned title of phenomenon following 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period 1969-72, a record that remains unbroken.[3] Khanna is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[4] He married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, 8 months before Dimple's debut film Bobby was released and had two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is married to actor Akshay Kumar, while they also have a younger daughter Rinke Khanna.[5]
pronunciation (help·info) born: Jatin Khanna;[1] 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012, Amritsar, Punjab, India)) was a Bollywood actor, film producer and politician. He was referred to as the "first superstar"[2] and the "original superstar" of Indian cinema.[3] He earned title of phenomenon following 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period 1969-72, a record that remains unbroken.[3] Khanna is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[4] He married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, 8 months before Dimple's debut film Bobby was released and had two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is married to actor Akshay Kumar, while they also have a younger daughter Rinke Khanna.[5]
He appeared in a total of 180 films - 163 feature films[6] and 17 short films.[5][7][8]
Since 1987, he held record for being the actor with maximum solo-hero
Hindi films and by 2011 his tally was 106, though only 99 got released.[9][10][11] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the most BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) – four times[12] and nominated 25 times. In 1991, he was awarded the Filmfare Special Award
for completing 25 years in the industry, appearing in a record 101
films (94 released) as the single lead hero in a span of 25 years.[6] In 2005, he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performances in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq and Aradhana.
He had 35 Golden Jubilee Hits (which means the films ran for more than
50 weeks in theatres across India) in the period 1967–1975, three more
in 76–78 and 35 more in the period 1979–1991. He also had 22 silver
jubilee hits (that is films ran in theatres for more than 25 weeks) in
the period 1966–1991.[6] He was the highest paid Indian actor from 1970–87 where Amitabh Bachchan shared the same tag with Khanna from 1980–87.[20] He was also a Lok Sabha member of the Indian National Congress from New Delhi constituency from 1992 to 1996.[21]
After being critically ill, Khanna died on 18 July 2012.[22] Khanna has been awarded posthumously India's third highest civilan honour Padma Bhushan. However, the information and broadcasting ministry has recommended his name for Padma Vibhushan to the home ministry for conferring the award under the arts category.[23]
On April 30, 2013 he was officially bestowed with title the First
Superstar of Indian cinema at Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards [24][25] At the 60th National Film Awards
in May 2013, it was announced that Khanna was one of 50 Indian actors
commemorated on a set of postage stamps released at the awards.[26]
Early life
Born on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar in Punjab[27] as Jatin Khanna,[1][28] Khanna was adopted and raised by foster parents – Chunni Lal Khanna and Leela Wati Khanna,[29] who were relatives of his biological parents after his father had migrated from pre-partitioned Pakistan to Gali Tiwarian in the city of Amritsar.[30]
His biological parents were Lala Hiranand and Chandrani Khanna and Lala
worked as headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala (in present day Pakistan), Vehari District, Punjab, Pakistan.[31][32] Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas[33] in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai and attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School there, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra, and whose mothers were friends.[34] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of stage and theatre plays in his school[35] and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[36]
In 1962 Khanna played a wounded dumb soldier in the play 'Andha Yug'
and impressed with his performance the chief guest suggested him to get
into films soon.[37]Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[38] Khanna did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts at Wadia College in Pune from 1959 to 1961.[39] Both friends later studied in K. C. College, Mumbai.[40]
Khanna also tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna's
uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna
decided to join films. His friends and his wife called him Kaka.[41]
Early career (1966–1975)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent
Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten
thousand contestants.[42] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[43] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz
directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his
predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent
Competition.[44] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[45] Aakhri Khat was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Oscar Academy Awards in 1967.[46]
Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is
my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra
Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular
actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the
camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress
on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my
dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained
me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[47] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[48] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq.
In case of Bahraon Ke Sapne, the response from the public in 1st week
of run forced the film's ending to be changed from a tragic one to
happeier one from the 2nd week.[49] Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[50] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[51][52] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal.
The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually
became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore
Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost
impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a
singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[53]
Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also
became the biggest grosser ever till then. Khanna is also credited with
giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become
screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[54]
Javed Akhthar accepted in an interview "One day, he went to Salimsaab
and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which
he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film's
script was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set
right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."[55]Rajesh bought Rajendra Kumar's bunglow named Dimple in Carter Road for 31 lakhs in 1970 and renamed it as Ashirwaad.[56]
Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[57]
They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they
shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided
to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing
three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided
to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films
Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted
saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following.
Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras,
there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a
result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my
autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates, and would
party a lot."
During the peak of his career he would be mobbed during public
appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick
marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans
sent him letters written in their blood.[58] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa
where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and
'Khanna'. Even today, he remains the favourite of mimicry artists, who
copy his trademark style and dialogue delivery. During the filming of
Amar Prem there was a scene that needed to be filmed at Howrah Bridge
with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The
authorities ruled this scene out as they realised that if the public
found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create
problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the
amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[59]
Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers “Girls married themselves to
photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the
blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria.”[60]
Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar
in the 1970s were based on Rajesh Khanna. During the filming of the
song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was shooting for
a Satyajit Ray
film and director Shakti Samanta had to shoot their scenes separately
and then join the scenes together.In the seventies, his chemistry with
Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman and Hema Malini were
also popular with audiences.[61]
The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[62] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Mumbai University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[63]
Sharmila Tagore said in interview to The Indian Express that "women came out in droves to see Kaka.
They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they
would marry his photographs, they would pull at his clothes. Delhi
girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police
protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this
before and since."[64]
Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna
films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's
films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.
Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive solo hit films between 1969 to 1971, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[65][66]
Those 15 solo lead hero films were Aradhana, Doli, Bandhan, Ittefaq, Do
Raaste, Khamoshi, Safar, The Train, Kati Patang, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan
Milo Sajna, Mehboob Ki Mehendi, Dushmun, Anand and Haathi Mere Saathi.[6]
Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his
idols. Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip
Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[47]
1976–1978
Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in 5 box office hits and in nine
films that were not commercially successful. Seven of the unsuccessful
films were critically acclaimed and have achieved strong cult status
over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[67] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janta Hawaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[68] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[69][70]
The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented
multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box
office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had
angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character
revolting against corruption becoming successes. Actor Joy Mukherjee
made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[71] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[72]
However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social sober household
meaningful films during this era and played a variety of characters in
films of various genres. During this phase too he had box office hits
like Maha Chor,[73] Chhailla Babu,[74] Anurodh, Karm and Bhola Bhala.
1979–1991
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[75][76] such as Amar Deep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[77] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Ashanti (1982 film), Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[78] Naya Kadam,[79] Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[80] Shatru,[81] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar, Amrit, Awam (from 1979–1991). Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[82] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[83]
But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and
orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although
Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the
original.[84]
Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar.[85]
Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of
the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and
"Adhikar", both with Khanna.[86] His on screen pair with Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon was also popular in the eighties[87] He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[88]
He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in
comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in
the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna performed in successful
multi-star films including Rajput, Dharm Aur Qanoon,[89] Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai, Zamana, Dil-E-Nadaan and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[90] Nishaan and Maqsad.[91] In 1984, Maqsad was the second-highest ranked film in terms of box office results, earning 8.5 crores.[92] Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar
is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played
the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his
role in the film.[93] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag.
Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and eight of
these became hits and in addition had two films with him in special
appearance.[94][95] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg
as his most favourite directorial venture and said in an interview "
Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it
as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first
time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the
sets."[96]
He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu
as a rickshaw puller, thriller in Redrose as a psycopath, political
adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in
Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat and Angarey, suspense in
Chakravyuha and Iteefaq, comedy in Bawarchi,
Hum Dono and Masterji, action in Ashanti and Zamana, family dramas
addressing different issues like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote,
variety of social films like Avtaar, Naya Kadam, Akhir Kyun and with
different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, spiritualism in
Maalik, patriotism in Prem Kahani, immature young love theme handled in
different ways in films like Anokha Rishta, Nazrana and Dil E Nadan and
did Muslim social where he loves a daughter of a prostitute in Mehboob
Ki Mehendi. He has played variety of characters as the lead hero – as a
postman in Palkon Ki Chaon Mein, as a lawyer who proves that his senior
has committed a rape 25 years earlier in Kudrat, as a politician in Aaj
Ka MLA Ram Avtaar, as a young musician forced by fate to marry two women
in Asha Jyoti, as professional advocate in Awaaz, fisherman in Prem
Bandhan, a revolutionary patriot who is torn apart by love and a
policeman like in Prem Kahanai and as a righteous farmer in Bandhan.
He shared a close relationship with R.D. Burman[97] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were friends and have worked together in thirty two films.[98][99] Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[100][101]
In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few
films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[102] Rajesh and Pancham worked together even after the death of Kishore in the films Jai Shiv Shankar, the unreleased film Police Ke Peechhe Police (both produced by Khanna ) and Sautela Bhai.
Khanna even helped Leena Gangully and Amit Kumar in completing Mamta Ki
Chhaon Mein, the last film directed by Kishore who died before the
completion of the film.
Pyarelal of Laxmikant-Pyarelal
duo quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we
were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 Amrit, we
gave hits together both as films and as music scores.... When we went on
our first overseas concert tour in 1984, he came and danced to three
songs. He was very particular about his music and would take a tape home
if he could not assess a song. He would then give his feedback after a
day or two. But if he liked a song at the sitting, he would loudly shout
“Wah! Wah!” in appreciation…. It was God’s blessing that we came up
with such a vast range of hit songs for him, including in his home
productions Roti and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Anurodh. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too.[57]
He had great interest in music and a terrific sense of melody too. His
music is dominated by Pancham (R.D. Burman) and us and we accepted
Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh only because Rajesh Khanna had some
misunderstanding with Pancham then and did not want to work with him."[57]
Khanna would always request music directors to fit in Kishore Kumar
wherever possible. In fact, Kishoreda was very reluctant to sing "Waada
Tera Waada" in Dushman
and suggested Laxmikant Pyarelal to get it sung by Rafi. Then Laxmikant
made Kishoreda meet Rajesh Khanna and Khanna winked at Laxmikant and
told Kishoreda that in that case the song should be scrapped. On hearing
this Kishore immediately agreed to sing it by himself for Khanna.[57]
Actors who were part of the cast of most of his films include Ashok Kumar, Sujit Kumar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, Asrani, Bindu, Vijay Arora, Roopesh Kumar, Dina Pathak and A. K. Hangal,
who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late
eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[103][104] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash, Prem Chopra, D. Rama Naidu[105] and Jeetendra.
Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that
they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to
see Khanna.[106]
The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna
as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all
time.[107] Shahrukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[108]
Anupam Kher said "Kishore Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar,S.D Burman, R D Burman,
Rajesh Khanna, Smita Patil changed the face of Indian cinema.They’re
remembered by the films that they do."[109]
Actor Tom Alter confessed “I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For
me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero – romantic to the core, not
larger than life, so Indian and real – he was my hero; the reason I
came into films and he still is.”[110]
Actor Irrfan Khan stated in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed
by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest
and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that
feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with
euphoria you lose touch with reality."[111] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[112]
Javed Akhthar told in an interview about his experience about Khanna's
stardom "Bangalore used to have a state lottery and the government asked
him to draw the lucky number. They organised it in a stadium. I was
with him as we were discussing some scripts. I don't know if I will
experience that again, the sound of 50,000 people gasping (when they saw
him). He was like Caesar. It was unbelievable".[113]
Later career (1991–2012)
From the early nineties, while serving as Congress M.P. from 1991 to 1996, he returned to acting, playing the lead in Khudai
(1994), which was about a father and son both falling in love for the
same woman. After 1992, he appeared in only 10 films and declined most
film offers. He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa
(2002) and played the solo lead in films Sautela Bhai in 1996, Pyar
Zindagi Hai in 2001 and Wafaa in 2008. He did 4 television serials in
the period 2000–2009.
Television
Khanna was a life member of the International Film And Television
Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[114]
He was the Guest Faculty of 'Specialised Cinema Courses At Asian School
Of Media Studies'. On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert
of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad
as a tribute to Pancham.[115] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro)[116] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[117] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment.[118] He also endorsed Star se Superstar tak – a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, K for Kishore
aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with
Creative Eye Banner (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a
TV serial, Bhabhima, with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009.[119]
Khanna cited the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films as
the reason for him not appearing much in films after 2001. He said in
an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials, "The
reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial
is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film".[120] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[121] In May 2012, Havells, the fan making company endorsed Khanna as Brand Ambassador for their new ad campaign featuring him in solo advertisements.[122]
Political and business career
In the election for New Delhi seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha election,
Khanna lost to L.K.Advani by a narrow margin of 1589 votes after which
Khanna stood on the ground at the counting station insisting that he had
been cheated of a win.[123]
As controversey erupted Advani had to vacate the constituency and a
by-election took place and Khanna won the same seat in 1992 by defeating
Shatrughan Sinha by 25,000 votes.[124] Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Indian National Congress, from the New Delhi
constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat
until the 1996 after which he was not interested in active politics.[125] When Khanna was MP, he did not accept new acting assignements but only acted in the film Khudai(1994).[126] After leaving parliament, he was a political activist for the INC and campaigned for the party till the 2012 Punjab election.[127]
Khanna and a group of foreign investors bought land in Shirdi on which they planned to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[128]
Personal life
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[129]
They were in a relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the
couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the break-up.[130] Later Khanna married the budding actress Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, before Kapadia's debut film Bobby released in November of that year.[131] They have two daughters from the marriage; Twinkle and Rinke.[132] Khanna and Kapadia separated in 1984 but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[133][134] In the eighties Tina Munim
was romantically involved with Khanna while working with Khanna in 11
movies from 1980-87. Tina had been a fan of Rajesh since her school days
and even in 1969 she used to stand outside Laxmi Nivas, a building next
to her Gujrati medium school,where Anju Mahendru used to stay to catch a
glimpse of Khanna.[135]Tina
expressed desire to marry Khanna after his separation with Dimple but
Khanna refused her proposal in 1987 considering that this will have a
bad impact on his daughters and he was sure that he and his wife would
solve their differences soon after which Tina left the film industry to
pursue higher education[136][137]
Khanna and Kapadia however maintained an amicable relationship where
they both were seen together at parties and family functions together
from 1990–2012. Kapadia also campaigned for Khanna's election and worked
in his film Jai Shiv Shankar (1990).[138]
Khanna's elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[139] while his younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[140] is married to a London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[141]
On 17 July 2012, a woman named Anita Advani claimed herself to be a
live-in partner of Khanna sent a legal notice to his family members
asking for compensation.[142][143]
However on 9 August 2012 his family sent reply that Anita Advani's
claims were all untrue and that she was not his live-in partner.[144][145]
Illness and death
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rajesh Khanna's funeral |
In June 2012, it was reported that Rajesh Khanna's health had been deteriorating for some time,[146][147] On 23 June he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai due to health complications. He was discharged on 8 July from the hospital and was reportedly fine.[148][149][150][151]
On 14 July, Khanna was readmitted to the Lilavati Hospital but was discharged on 16 July.[152][153] He died on 18 July 2012, at his bungalow, Aashirwad, in Mumbai.Sources confirmed that his health was deteriorating since July 2011 as he was diagnosed with cancer.[154][155]
After his death his co-star Mumtaz said that Khanna was suffering from
cancer since a year and had undergone chemotherapy sessions.[156][157] His funeral took place on 19 July at 11:00.[5]
His funeral was attended by nearly 9 lakh people and his fans had come
from places like Surat, Ahmedabad, California, Singapore and from other
foreign countries[158]
Police had resort to lathi-charge to control the crowd of fans who had
gathered for the procession from Khanna's Bandra house to crematorium.[159]
He died in the presence of his wife Dimple Kapadia, daughters Rinkie
Khanna and Twinkle Khanna, son-in-law Akshay Kumar, grand children, Anju
Mahendru and other close relatives.[19][160] His pyre was lit by his grandson, Aarav, with the assistance of Akshay Kumar.[161] [162] Amitabh Bachchan cited that Khanna's last words were 'Time is up', 'Pack up'.[163][164]
In his special recorded message to his family, friends and fans which
was played on his "chautha" he thanked and saluted his friends and fans
for the love they showered on him.[165] On 25 July 2012, his ashes were immersed in Ganges by his wife Dimple Kapadia and daughter Rinke Khanna.[166]
Reactions
Following his death, there was a quick spate of reactions from within the Bollywood fraternity.
The President of India
Pratibha Patil condoled the passing away of the actor. In a press
release she said "I am saddened to learn about the passing away of
Rajesh Khanna. In his prime as an actor he was the heartthrob of the
young generation of 1970s, who tried to model themselves on him and his
style." She added "In the hit film 'Anand',
his dialogue "Arrey oh baabu mushoy hum to rangmanch ki kathputliyan
hain jiski dor us upar wale ke haathon main hai kab, kaun kahan uthega
ye koi nahin janta" is so poignant today."[167]
Other celebrities who paid homage to him at his house after his death on 18th July,2012 included Manoj Kumar, Asha Parekh, Ranjeet, Jeetendra, Rakesh Roshan, Yash Chopra, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Asrani, Prem Chopra, Salman Khan, Sharukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Sajid Khan.[5][168][169]His
prayer meeting, organised in a grand way at the Taj Land’s End hotel in
Bandra, on 21s July,2012 was attended by many including Reena Roy,
Padmini Kolhapure, Neelam, Jaya Prada, Amar Singh, Bindu, Poonam
Dhillon, Neetu Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Ranbir
Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborthy, Shakti Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Suresh
Oberoi, Parmeshwar Godrej, Tabu, Jackie Shroff.[170][171] [172]
Shahrukh Khan reacted on Twitter
in writing: "To live with intention and walk to the edge. Play with
abandon, choose with no regret. Smile and made us do the same. Sir, you
defined our era. Whenever life felt tough u made us feel how love could
change it all. RIP." Mumtaz
also added that she had memories of having working with him and said
she was crying the whole morning, but was happy that she had met the
ailing Khanna in Mumbai in June 2012, when the two discussed their
respective battles with cancer.[173] While Shahid Kapoor also wrote on Twitter: "RIP to the 1st king of romance...Rajesh Khanna." Subhash Ghai added that Khanna "was the powerhouse of Hindi film industry. I met him on the sets of Aradhna, he had some kind of energy and you will be charged when he is around you. His name will be written in golden words." Madhuri Dixit wrote on Twitter
that "as another of Hindi cinema's giants passes, Rajesh Khanna. Our
sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly." Amitabh Bachchan wrote on Twitter:
"The word 'superstar' was invented for him, and for me it shall ever
remain his, and no others .. !!His generation and the generations that
follow, shall never be able to describe, or understand his phenomena
.. !!" .[174]Hema Malini
said that "we always thought he would come back [from the hospital]. We
are in shock right now." His son-in-law Akshay Kumar told reporters
about his death and added that "he has gone to a nice and heavenly
place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will
pray for him."[175]
Vyjayanthimala
commented that "his death is a big loss to the industry. It's my bad
luck that I didn't have the chance to work with him because he came much
later. I remember when he came to Chennai for some film shoot the
college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was going to
his studio."[176] Manna Dey
said: "He was a great actor, truly a superstar no doubt about it. I am
honoured to have done playback for him. I have worked for him in several
movies and actors like him are a rarity."[177] Mrinal Sen
recollected how Khanna had wanted to cast him in one of his films, but
the latter could not manage due to date problems. "We had met several
times. Once I had wanted to cast him in one of my films but somehow that
didn't work out due to his date problems."
Buddhadeb Dasgupta
said Khanna's acting would continue to inspire young actors in future.
"He was a great actor and was the first superstar. He was a much bigger
star than Amitabh Bachchan. His acting will continue to inspire young actors of the coming generations."[178] Rituparno Ghosh
said: "In the film 'Anand', Khanna delivered some of Indian cinema's
most memorable dialogues. The use of the word 'babu moshai' for Amitabh
Bachchan, who played a Bengali doctor in the film, is so deeply etched
in the minds of Indians that it has almost become a synonym for Bengalis
for the rest of the countrymen. "In a dhoti and kurta, you showed the
rest of India how truly elegant Bengal was"[179]Madhur
Bhandarkar said, "The epitome of superstardom is no more amongst us.
There was none, there is none and there won't be any like you kakaji."[180]
Film historian S. M. M. Ausaja added: "He never acted in a Bengali cinema.
But right from the late 1960s to the 70s he was the top star and worked
with the top directors of his era, most of whom were Bengalis.[179] There were also reactions from the Gali Tiwaria
where the his ancestral house was, and had since been converted to a
temple through his donation. Songs from his movies were played as the
news of his death became known. His foster brother Muni Chand Khanna
said that "he used to love to play cricket when he lived here. He was a
simple boy when he lived here and led a simple life even after achieving
so much."[30] As were the residents of Burewala, Pakistan.[181]
Additionally, those within the political spectrum that offered their condolences included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
who said that he "convey[s] my heartfelt condolences to the members of
the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh
Khanna." INC President Sonia Gandhi also expressed her sorrow. Regional political leaders who offered their condolences included Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee
who said: "Rajesh Khanna was always a symbol of romance. His smiling
face and the ability to connect with people at ease had made him
popular. We lost a big pole star in the film world today;" as well as
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who added that "his death has caused irreparable loss to Hindi cinema."[5]
Condolences also came from Pakistan where Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf called Khanna a "great actor whose contribution to the field of
films and arts would be long remembered. [He had a] large fan following
across the borders and captivated audiences with his excellent acting
skills." Ali Zafar wrote on Twitter: "Rajesh Khanna – RIP. So many fond memories from his movies and songs," while Syed Noor
said: "Rajesh Khanna was such a huge actor of the subcontinent that he
will be remembered by the people for many years to come. The era he
reigned over is unlikely to be experienced by any other actor of this
subcontinent." Geo TV also aired a nearly hour-long tribute with contributions from actors, filmmakers and musicians.[176]
Filmography
Actor
Main article: Rajesh Khanna filmography
Producer
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Alag Alag |
| 1989 | Police Ke Peeche Police |
| 1990 | Jai Shiv Shankar |
Co-producer
| Year | Film | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Mehboob Ki Mehndi | 2,80,00,000[182] |
| 1974 | Roti | 4,00,00,000[183] |
| 1995 | Barsaat | 19,25,00,000[184] |
Playback Singer
| Year | Song | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "O Mere Sajna O Mere Balma" | Baharon Ke Sapne | With Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1969 | "Baagon Mein Bahaar Hai" | Aradhana | With Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1970 | "Nadiya Chale Chale Re Dhara" | Safar | With Manna Dey |
| 1972 | "Raina beeti jaaye" | Amar Prem | With Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1972 | "Rimjhim Rimjhim Dekho Baras Rahee Hai" | Shehzada | With Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1972 | "Naa Jaeeyo Naa Jaeeyo Chhod Ke Naa Jaiyo Meri Rani" | Shehzada | With Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1973 | "Haan To Main Kya" | Raja Rani | With Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar |
| 1973 | "Main To Kuchh Bhi Nahin" | Daag | |
| 1974 | "Ik Ajnabi Haseena Se Yun Mulaqat Ho Gayi" | Ajanabee | With Kishore Kumar |
| 1974 | "Ek Muamma Hai Samjh Ne Ka" | Prem Nagar | With Kishore Kumar |
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