He introduced us to a special twinkle in the eye that made us feel good about ourselves.”ġ942: Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Hindi cinema, was born on December 29 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. On hearing about his death, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher aptly said: “Rajesh Khanna gave us a crash course in romance. He was the highest paid Bollywood hero 1970 to 79, and shared the honour with contemporary Amitabh Bachchan from 1980 to 87. To date, Khanna holds the record for releasing the most number of films within a span of two years, as he released 15 films between 1969 to 1971, which was considered by many as the golden era of his career. Khanna made a total of 163 feature films and 17 short films, 106 of which were solo films. Films like Aradhana, Anand, Kati Patang, Agar Tum Na Hotay and Amar Prem set unmatchable standards in the history of Indian cinema. Khanna’s charisma and expressions (along with the trademark pelvic thrusts) gave the songs of RD Burman, SD Burman and Laxmikat Pyarelal a new life. There were even stories about females marrying his photograph. He would often be mobbed by fans at public appearances, and his cars would bear lipstick marks of crazy fans. Twinkle went on to marry popular Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who remained close to the late actor during his illness and rushed back to Mumbai from a shoot when he was informed about his demise.Īmong Rajesh Khanna’s crazy fan stories that became popular, one that was often repeated was about girls who wrote letters to him in blood. Of the two, Twinkle had relatively better success with a few noticeable films such as Barsaat, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai and Baadshah.
Khanna and Dimple had two daughters together, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, both of whom didn’t have successful careers in Bollywood. After many years, Dimple helped Khanna campaign for his short and silent political career and was present alongside him in his last interaction with his fans, when he waved at them from his bungalow’s balcony to say he was well at the end of June. While the two never completed divorce proceedings, they lived separately. Khanna and Dimple were to work together in a film called Jai Jai Shiv Shankar (named after a popular song) but the movie subsequently got shelved. According to Indian press reports, their relationship grew estranged as he was busy filming and Dimple wanted to pursue a career in acting. While the actors were among the most dazzling onscreen, they could not capture that chemistry in real life and were separated after 11 years of marriage.
Khanna then met Bollywood bombshell Dimple Kapadia, whom he married in 1973, a few months prior to her hit film Bobby. In the late 60s, he fell in love with little known actor and fashion designer Anju Mehndru, whom he dated for seven years but didn’t marry as she was not ready. Unlike his Bollywood verve, Khanna’s personal life was turbulent. After a prolonged illness, the actor who was lovingly called Kaka by his peers, passed away at the age of 69 at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. Be it a monologue on the existential dilemma of a cancer patient or a drunkard’s confession of love for a singer at a brothel, Rajesh Khanna’s fans felt his character’s anguish.
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