Khanna was the symbol of romance. His rise to stardom was often compared to India’s other great actor Dilip Kumar, but Kumar could never achieve what Khanna did: 14 consecutive box office hits.
“I never thought it would end. I had no reference points on how to handle such success. No one had experienced it,” Khanna had told a film magazine during his heydays.
Adopted by a childless couple, Khanna was an engaging youngster when he started his film career in 1965. At the peak of his stardom, he had it all: swooning fans, screaming girls, blood-soaked marriage proposals, a furor wherever he went.
It seemed as if he had filled an apparent void at the time. While the trinity of Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar was on the decline, film-goers saw him as a refreshing new entry. He began his career with Aakhri Khat and later exploded on the scene with hits like Aradhana, Do Raaste, Safar and Anand.
Most people wear a short-sleeved Kurta over pants without knowing it was Khanna that it made it the rage it is today.
After moving away from the entertainment industry, Khanna dabbled briefly in politics and even managed to secure a victory against his Bollywood colleague Shatrughan Sinha in the 1991 by-elections. But a string of defeats later, his appetite for politics waned.
Khanna’s marriage with Dimple Kapadia was a rocky relationship which didn’t last long. The latter part of his life was marked by solitude and he was said to have become increasingly erratic.
Kaka, as he was popularly known, is survived by daughters Twinkle and Rinke.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2012.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Rajesh Khanna's demise is really a sad moment, but it was also a fact that he was morally a most corrupt fellow, he married 12 to 15 times and out of marriage affairs are separate, he could not proved a sincere husband a loving father, it was his attitude and character that he failed in being a good father and Husband. Bad character girls used to marry with his picture ready to give everything to that hero. Celebrating so much on media is also unfair from ethics and character visualization.
a symbol of classic hindi romantic movies...he takes one back in the times of his heydays whenever one watches top hits of his earlier carrier
So sad. He represented a romantic era.
Our Anand is dead. I feel as sad as Babumoshai did.
How can I watch Anand and Bawarchi again without terribly missing him?
Maybe he resorted to drinking because he had experienced such extraordinary highs that normal mortal life was unfathomable for him. Whatever it was, one thing is for sure- India has lost another of its entertainers.
Aradhana, Anand, Kati Patang, Agar Tum Na Hotay, Khamoshi, Amar Prem, Safar, Bawarchi, Anurodh are by Bengali directors Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Shakti Samanta, Asit Sen. Khamoshi, Safar, Bawarchi, Anurodh, Amar Prem are direct remakes of Bengali films. S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman, Salil Choudhury (Anand), Kishore Kumar, and Sharmila Tagore, all Bengalis, were instrumental to Rajesh Khanna's success. R. D. Burman, Kishore Kumar, and Rajesh Khanna combination gave superhit songs in 32 films. "Babumoshai" in Anand directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee was his most famous dialogue. Any description of Rajesh Khanna's career and superstardom would be incomplete without a special mention of Bengal.
Indeed a legend is gone. To me he was the first really "Best Dressed" hero of bollywood too.