He starred in 15 consecutive hits between 1969 to 1971. The frenzy he prompted, the fandom he enjoyed, the craze he celebrated – no actor yet has been able to duplicate that kind of superstardom. Women got married to his photograph, while others picked up the dust on his car wheels and applied it as sindoor. Some even committed suicide when he got married to an adolescent Dimple Kapadia. He didn’t have the Greek God looks of his predecessors. His features were gentle and his voice gentler. The boyish face dotted with pimples, the crinkling eyes, the typical wave of the hand and the Guru kurta… Rajesh Khanna was a cult. His onscreen mortality added to his magnetism. It was at once both – a reminder of our vulnerability and a shout out to live fully. He aced the ‘loser in love’ façade in most of his films, making women want to protect him and possess him. Jack Pizzey, who made the BBC documentary, Bombay Superstar (1974), described him as an actor who had the ‘charisma of Rudolph Valentino and the arrogance of Napoleon.’ And just as time bound these were, so was Rajesh’s swag. “Those were heady days. I admit that I may have made some mistakes. I was a superstar, but I was also an ordinary mortal,” he once confided in an interview when questioned about his alleged arrogance. Taking a look at that era, which defined him and deified him…
Rajesh Khanna was born on December 29, 1942, in Amritsar, Punjab as Jatin Khanna. He was adopted by his well-placed relatives, Chunnilal and Leelawati Khanna, who lived in Girgaum, Mumbai. He was a rare rookie, who went about seeking work in films in his own MG sports car. He became one of the eight finalists in the All India Talent Contest, organised by United Producers and Filmfare in 1965. He made his debut in Chetan Anand’s Aakhri Khat (1966), India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Academy Awards. This was followed by Raaz, Aurat and Baharon Ke Sapne (all in 1967) and Doli and Ittefaq (both in 1969).
Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana (1969) kick-started his stardom. The dashing Indian Air Force officer singing, Mere sapnon ki rani in a jeep, as a woman (Sharmila Tagore) seated in a train running parallel blushes, reading Alistair Maclean’s When Eight Bells Toll… remains a classic frame. In a double role as Arun/ Suraj Prasad Saxena, Rajesh got the nation hooked. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar with hits like Kora kaagaz tha and Roop tera mastana. Aradhana bagged the Filmfare Best Film award. Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste (1969) too won him attention, though it was a family affair. The film gave us the ultimate seduction song – Laxmikant Pyarelal’s Bindiya chamkegi, filmed on Rajesh and Mumtaz. Manmohan Desai’s Sachaa Jhutha (1970), had him play a villager Bhola, whose lookalike, Ranjit Kumar is a criminal mastermind. While Mumtaz played his ladylove, actress Naaz shot to fame as Meri pyaari beheniya banegi dulhania was sung by Rajesh for her in the film. The L-P number became a bidaai staple. Mukul Dutt’s Aan Milo Sajna (1970), pairing him with Asha Parekh, is remembered for L-P’s Achcha to hum chalte hain.
MA Thirumugham’s Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), having a Disneyesque appeal, endeared Kaka (as he was fondly called) to children. With the signing amount given to him by producer, Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar, Rajesh apparently bought a bungalow at Carter Road from Rajendra Kumar. Renamed as Aashirwad, it grew to become a landmark. Shakti Samanta’s Kati Patang (1971) reiterated Rajesh’s stardom. Adapted from the eponymous novel by Gulshan Nanda, which in turn was inspired by the Hollywood film No Man Of Her Own, it was shot in picturesque Nainital. R.D. Burman’s tracks Yeh jo mohabbat hai, Yeh shaam mastani and Pyaar deewana hota hai and Asha Bhosle crooning Mera naam hai Shabnam in ‘rap’, was a bonanza for audiences.
Asit Sen’s Safar (1970) was perhaps Rajesh’s starkest film. Produced by Mushir-Riaz, it was based on a novel by Ashutosh Mukherjee. Rajesh, playing a cancer patient, urges his love (Sharmila Tagore) to marry a businessman (Feroz Khan). Eventually, she loses them both. One to disease. The other to debt. Indeevar’s Zindagi ka safar remains an immortal assertion of mortality. In close proximity to Safar, Rajesh played the titular role in Anand (1971), someone who’s suffering from lymphosarcoma of the intestine. The Hrishikesh Mukherjee film paired him with Babu Moshai, Amitabh Bachchan. Songs like Zindagi kaisi hai paheli and Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye from Anand still top nostalgia lists. In the same year, Rajesh’s 10-minute cameo in Ramesh Sippy’s Andaz (1971) is credited for turning the Shammi Kapoor-Hema Malini film into a superhit. Singing, Zindagi ek safar hai suhana, he blazes on the screen riding a motorbike with Hema Malini…
Shakti Samanta’s sublime Amar Prem (1972) was based on the short story, Hinger Kochuri. The film contrasted the debauchery of society with the divinity of a child. Story goes that when the song Chingari koi bhadke was to be shot at Howrah Bridge in Kolkata with Rajesh and Sharmila, the authorities didn’t grant permission. They feared the bridge would collapse with the weight of the crowds. Rajesh’s dialogue from the film, “Pushpa, I hate tears,” has assumed cult status today.
Films like Bawarchi, Joroo Ka Ghulam, Dil Daulat Duniya, Apna Desh in the same year enjoyed a decent run. But what came as a premonition that year were three flops, Shehzada, Mere Jeevan Saathi and Maalik. Yet, the huge buzz around Hrishida’s Namak Haraam (1973), dispelled doubts. Based loosely on the British-American classic Becket (1964), starring Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton, it was a proletariat vs plutocrat conflict. While Amitabh Bachchan played Vicky, son of an industrialist, Rajesh played Somu, his humble friend. Reportedly, Rajesh was offered to play Vicky. But he opted for Somu, who dies in the end. Kaka believed his onscreen death insured his success. But this time the death marked the snuffing out of his stardom. In May 1973, Zanjeer had introduced Bachchan as the ‘Angry Young Man’. Namak Haraam in November reiterated it. It was apparently Rajesh himself who, at the premiere of Namak Haraam, told Hrishida, “Here’s the superstar of tomorrow.”
There were several notable films in 1974 including Yash Chopra’s Daag, Manmohan Desai’s Roti, J Om Prakash’s Aap Ki Kasam, KS Prakash Rao’s Prem Nagar and Shakti Samanta’s Ajanabee. But the cinematic jargon had changed. In the ’80s, he gave hits like Souten, Thodi Si Bewafai, Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote and Amrit… Yet they were few and far between. Aa Ab Laut Chalein (1999) and Wafaa (2008) were his last few outings.
CRAZE & CHARISMA
Mumtaz and Sharmila Tagore, one known for her spontaneity, the other for her sophistication, were integral to Rajesh Khanna’s journey. Mumtaz, with whom he acted in eight films, once said in an interview, “Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel after a shoot at midnight, there would be a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him. As a result, even I’d get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well.” While Sharmila, with whom he did around six films was quoted saying, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka. They’d stand outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they’d marry his photographs, they’d pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection.”
Friend and actor Kamal Haasan, once shared an incident, which revealed Rajesh’s charisma down South even in the early ’80s. They both had been to watch the film, The Swarm, in Chennai. “After the show… all hell broke loose... I became Rajesh Khanna’s bodyguard as I took him through the crowd. His shirt was torn, but he was enjoying himself. He chuckled like a child,” Kamal was quoted saying. Javed Akhtar (co-writer of Haathi Mere Saathi) too was witness to Kaka’s stardom. “At a state lottery in Bangalore, the government asked him to draw the lucky number in a stadium. I was with him… The sound of 50,000 people gasping (when they saw him)... He was like Caesar. It was unbelievable.”
While the world was swooning over him, Rajesh was in love with actress/model Anju Mahendru those days. They were in a relationship for seven years. Apparently, his alleged ego and possessiveness caused a dent in their relationship. On the rebound, he married the teenaged Dimple Kapadia, who was to debut in Bobby, in March ’73. After two daughters, Twinkle and Rinkie, and a decade of trying to make her marriage work, Dimple walked out of Aashirwad. But she never divorced him. Anju and Rajesh resumed their friendship after 17 years. What’s more, Dimple and Anju are friends too and were with him till his last journey.
A HERO’s Farewell
It was in 2011 that reports of Rajesh’s terminal illness started doing the rounds. His last few months had the family rallying around him. Dimple, they say, never left his side. He passed away on July 18, 2012, in the presence of Dimple, his daughters Rinke Khanna and Twinkle Khanna, son-in-law Akshay Kumar and friend Anju Mahendru. His funeral, which took place on July 19, was attended by nine lakh people. It was the ultimate tribute to his stardom. His fans came from places like Surat, Ahmedabad, and even foreign countries. Amidst pristine flowers and tearful farewells, he was laid to rest. In a special pre-recorded message, which was played on his chautha, Rajesh thanked his friends and fans for the love they’d showered on him. It was reminiscent of his Shakespearesque soliloquy from Anand, “Babumoshai… Hum sab toh rangmanch ki kathputhliyan hain jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon main bandhi hain. Kab, kaun, kaise uthega yeh koi nahi bata sakta hai.” In retrospect, Rajesh Khanna’s life closely resembled the life of the lead character in The Sunset Boulevard (1950). Difference being that while Norma Desmond, who plays a forgotten filmstar, wants to make one last comeback, Rajesh actually did. His demise has resurrected his stardom in a surreal way. His movies, his music (especially with R.D. Burman) and his memories have got a new lease of life. Because Rajesh Khanna was not a man. He was an emotion. And emotions never die.
It was in 2011 that reports of Rajesh’s terminal illness started doing the rounds. His last few months had the family rallying around him. Dimple, they say, never left his side. He passed away on July 18, 2012, in the presence of Dimple, his daughters Rinke Khanna and Twinkle Khanna, son-in-law Akshay Kumar and friend Anju Mahendru. His funeral, which took place on July 19, was attended by nine lakh people. It was the ultimate tribute to his stardom. His fans came from places like Surat, Ahmedabad, and even foreign countries. Amidst pristine flowers and tearful farewells, he was laid to rest. In a special pre-recorded message, which was played on his chautha, Rajesh thanked his friends and fans for the love they’d showered on him. It was reminiscent of his Shakespearesque soliloquy from Anand, “Babumoshai… Hum sab toh rangmanch ki kathputhliyan hain jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon main bandhi hain. Kab, kaun, kaise uthega yeh koi nahi bata sakta hai.” In retrospect, Rajesh Khanna’s life closely resembled the life of the lead character in The Sunset Boulevard (1950). Difference being that while Norma Desmond, who plays a forgotten filmstar, wants to make one last comeback, Rajesh actually did. His demise has resurrected his stardom in a surreal way. His movies, his music (especially with R.D. Burman) and his memories have got a new lease of life. Because Rajesh Khanna was not a man. He was an emotion. And emotions never die.
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