Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

Aakhri Khat ''Aakhri Khat'' (English: The Last Letter) is a 1966 Bollywood film written and directed by Chetan Anand. This film marked the debut of Rajesh Khanna, who became the first superstar of Indian Cinema from 1969. The music of the film is by Khayya ...

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna (also known as Tina Jatin Khanna; born on 29 December) is an Indian author, columnist, interior designer, film producer and a former film actress. In 2015, she released her first non-fiction book, " Mrs Funnybones" which was decl ...

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Yasser Usman Yasser Usman (born 1980s) is an Indian television journalist, news presenter, and biographer. Born in Moradabad, Yasser began his career by working as a television presenter and was awarded the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journali ...

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Lajpat Nagar National Park was named after Khanna, which was inaugurated by his wife

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

.

Early life and background

Rajesh Khanna was born on 29 December 1942, in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

in the present-day state of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, in a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family as Jatin Khanna. He was adopted and raised by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna, who were relatives of his biological parents. His father had migrated from

West Punjab West Punjab ( pnb, ; ur, ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 159,344 km2 (61523 sq mi), including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but exclu ...

to Gali Tiwarian in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

. His biological parents were Lala Hiranand Khanna and Chandrani Khanna. Lala worked as headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala (in present-day Vehari District,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

). His adoptive parents belonged to a family of railway contractors who had moved from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

in 1935. Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas, in Thakur-dwar near Girgaon, Mumbai. He attended St. Sebastian's Goan High School with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early l ...

. Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre, did many of stage and theatre plays in his school and college days, and won many prizes in inter-college drama competitions. In 1962 Khanna played a wounded mute soldier in the play '' Andha Yug'' and impressed with his performance; the chief guest suggested that he get into films soon. Khanna became a rare newcomer who had his own MG sports car, who once struggled to get work in theatre and films in the early 1960s. Khanna did his first two years of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in

Nowrosjee Wadia College Nowrosjee Wadia College is a college affiliated with the University of Pune. This college was founded in 1932 and now has 6 other sister institutes. Foundation and Early history While Pune was known ever since the advent of the British rule as a ...

in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

from 1959 to 1961. Khanna later studied in K. C. College, Mumbai and Jeetendra studied from Siddharth Jain College. Khanna tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna's uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to enter films. His friends and his wife called him ''Kaka'' (meaning a baby faced boy in Punjabi).

Acting career

1960s

Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists from more than 10,000 contestants in the 1965 All India Talent Contest, organised by United Producers and Filmfare, along with other FTII students

Subhash Ghai Subhash may refer to: People * Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker * Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai * Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politician ...

and Dheeraj Kumar. Rajesh Khanna won the contest along with Farida Jalal. BR Chopra, Bimal Roy, GP Sippy, HS Rawail, Nasir Husain, J.Om Prakash, Mohan Saigal, Shakti Samanta and Subodh Mukherji and others had created the United Producers organisation and were then judges of the contest. He made his film debut in the 1966 film ''

Aakhri Khat ''Aakhri Khat'' (English: The Last Letter) is a 1966 Bollywood film written and directed by Chetan Anand. This film marked the debut of Rajesh Khanna, who became the first superstar of Indian Cinema from 1969. The music of the film is by Khayya ...

'', directed by Chetan Anand, followed by '' Raaz'', directed by

Ravindra Dave Ravindra Dave (16 April 1919 – 21 July 1992) was an Indian film director, producer, editor and screenwriter. He directed more than 30 Hindi films in the 1950s and 1960s including several hits like ''Nagina'' (1951), '' Agra Road'' (1957), ''Po ...

, both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers' Talent Competition. G.P. Sippy and

Nasir Hussain Mohammad Nasir Hussain Khan (16 November 1926 — 13 March 2002), better known as Nasir Hussain, was an Indian film producer, director, and screenwriter. With a career spanning decades, Hussain has been credited as a major trendsetter in the ...

were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest. Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects such as '' Aurat'', '' Doli'' and '' Ittefaq''. He was then noticed for his performances in films such as '' Baharon Ke Sapne'', '' Aurat'' (1967), '' Doli'', '' Aradhana'' and '' Ittefaq''. In ''Bahraon Ke Sapne'', the response from the public in the first week of run forced the film's ending to be changed from a tragic one to a happier one from the second week. Later, Waheeda Rehman suggested to Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in ''Khamoshi''. Through ''Aradhana'' he rose to "instant national fame" and the media referred to him as the "First Superstar of India" owing to the crazy following he got and the big crowds he could pull. However, Public Relations Officer (PRO) Tarak Nath Gandhi later confessed in a 1989 BBC interview about how they established the "Superstar" title with Rajesh Khanna, citing, "in press releases, we always wrote "Superstar" before Rajesh Khanna - "Superstar Rajesh Khanna". But the journalists used to complain and question this. So, we flattered the journalists by explaining them, talking to them nicely, by taking them out to dinner and giving them presents. In this way, we established the title "Superstar". If you keep repeating something innumerous times, it sticks." Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. It also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. They worked together until Kishore's death in 1987 and songs of their combination were released until 1991.

1970s

In 1971, he acted in '' Haathi Mere Saathi'', which became that year's highest-grossing film and the biggest grosser ever till then. Khanna is credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in ''Haathi Mere Saathi''. Javed Akhthar accepted and said 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." Rajesh bought

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...

's bungalow named Dimple in Carter Road Promenade for 31 lakhs in 1970 and renamed it Ashirwaad. Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive solo hit films between 1969 and 1971. These were '' Aradhana'', '' Doli'', '' Bandhan'', '' Ittefaq'', '' Do Raaste'', '' Khamoshi'', '' Safar'', '' The Train'', ''

Kati Patang ''Kati Patang'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a box office success. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations ...

'', '' Sachaa Jhutha'', '' Aan Milo Sajna'', '' Mehboob Ki Mehendi'', ''

Choti Bahu ''Chotti Bahu'' is an Indian drama television series produced by DJ's a Creative Unit. Season one aired from 8 December 2008 to 17 September 2010 and season two aired from 15 February 2011 to 18 May 2012 on Zee TV. It starred Avinash Sachdev as ...

'', '' Anand'' and '' Haathi Mere Saathi''. He had 17 consecutive hit films as the lead hero from 1969 to 1971 which included 15 solo hero films and 2 non-solo hero films; '' Andaz'' and '' Maryada''. '' Badnam Farishte'' in 1971 was unsuccessful at the box office. In 1972, Khanna acted in 11 releases including the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

film '' Bangaru Babu''. That year, his films, '' Amar Prem'', ''

Apna Desh ''Apna Desh'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language action drama film, produced by A.V. Subramaniam and T.M.Kittu and directed by Jambu. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Om Prakash, Jagdeep, Mukkamala, Madan Puri and the credited Roja Raman ...

'' and '' Mere Jeevan Saathi'' earned more than Rs.5 crore together. His other films of 1972 such as ''

Dil Daulat Duniya ''Dil Daulat Duniya '' () is a 1972 Hindi-language comedy-drama film, directed by Prem Narayan Arora and starring Rajesh Khanna, Sadhana, Ashok Kumar, Om Prakash, Sulochana, Helen and Jagdeep. The film revolves around a poor man in a palatial ...

'', ''

Bawarchi ''Bawarchi'' (translation: ''The Chef'') is a 1972 Indian Hindi musical comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K. Hangal, Usha Kiran and Durga Khote in supporting roles. Thi ...

'', '' Joroo Ka Ghulam'' and '' Shehzada'' earned more than Rs.4.5 crores. His next release '' Anuraag'' was a hit. The film '' Maalik'' released in end of 1972 was unsuccessful. He made a guest appearance in a Telugu movie called '' Bangaru Babu'', directed by V.B. Rajendra Prasad in 1973, which was a hit at the box office.In 1972, he had 9 consecutive hit films. As per the review of '' Raja Rani'' written in 2014 by ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'' newspaper, the film did well at the box office and, taking into consideration the inflation as of 2014, the film would have grossed more than 100 crores. The attire worn by Khanna was a sleeveless shirt and trousers, thick leather belt, shoes without socks and a black cap.''The Hindu'' review noted "On a lesser actor, the attire would have fallen flat, but Khanna, as a small time thief, carries it with characteristic élan." Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight films. They were neighbours and got along very well, which translated onto the screen. Mumtaz stated "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, 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. There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor

Mehmood Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 19 ...

parodied him in '' Bombay to Goa'' where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna' respectively. 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 shot at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna and Sharmila under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realised that if the public found out that the star would be there, it may create problems on the bridge and that it might collapse due to the number of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor. 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." In the year 1974, the

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

were held honouring the films released in the year 1973. Khanna was nominated for his performance in a complicated role in '' Daag''. However,

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films. He was the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Born into th ...

received the Best Actor award for his jolly, schoolboyish debut role in '' Bobby'', Khanna did not win the award for his performance in '' Daag''. 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 1970s, his chemistry with Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman, Tanuja and

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successfu ...

were also popular with audiences. In 1973, BBC also made a documentary on him named as ''Bombay Superstar'' as a part of their '' Man Alive'' series.Raghavendra, Nandini (19 July 2012
Rajesh Khanna defined superstardom, yet 'Brand Kaka' was hardly leveraged
economictimes.indiatimes.com Shooting began when he got married and his film ''Daag'' premiered. In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for '' Aap Ki Kasam''. A textbook prescribed by the

Mumbai University The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed h ...

contained an essay, "The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!" Sharmila Tagore said in an interview to ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...

'' 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 or since." Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. His films were always known for the music with chartbuster soundtracks. The reason for this was that Khanna used to personally sit in music sessions with music directors such as

Kalyanji Anandji Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) was the ''Kalyanji'' of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, ...

, R. D. Burman, Shankar Jaikishen, Lakshmikant Pyarelal,

S.D. Burman Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one ...

, Bappie Lahiri and select tunes for duets and solo songs in his films. He used to be personally present for recording of the solo songs to be picturised on him. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Sachin Dev Burman and R. D. Burman. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including ''

Kati Patang ''Kati Patang'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a box office success. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations ...

'', '' Amar Prem'', '' Shehzada'', ''

Apna Desh ''Apna Desh'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language action drama film, produced by A.V. Subramaniam and T.M.Kittu and directed by Jambu. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Om Prakash, Jagdeep, Mukkamala, Madan Puri and the credited Roja Raman ...

'', '' Mere Jeevan Saathi'', '' Aap Ki Kasam'', '' Ajnabee'', '' Namak Haraam'', '' Maha Chor'', '' Karm'', '' Phir Wohi Raat'', '' Aanchal'', '' Kudrat'', '' Ashanti'', ''

Agar Tum Na Hote ''Agar Tum Na Hote'' () is a 1983 Indian Bollywood drama film directed by Lekh Tandon and starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar in leading roles. Lekh Tandon received the Best Director Award for this film in Filmfans Association of India ...

'', ''

Awaaz Awaaz (transl. ''Voice'') is a 1984 Hindi action crime film directed by Shakti Samanta with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role and supported by Jaya Prada, Rakesh Roshan, Suresh Oberoi, Supriya Pathak, Iftekar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Amrish P ...

'', '' Hum Dono'' and ''

Alag Alag ''Alag Alag'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim in the lead roles, produced by Rajesh Khanna and directed by one of his favourite directors Shakti Samanta. The film is best remembered for the way it was sh ...

''. Khanna considered

Guru Dutt Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998''Encyclopedia of India ...

, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali to be his idols. Khanna said in an interview: "My inspirations include

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...

's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity,

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm." Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in seven films that were not commercially successful. These films included '' Mehbooba'', '' Bundal Baaz'', '' Tyaag'', ''

Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein ''Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein'' () is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language drama film, produced by Nariman Baria and A. Khalia under the Nav Sampathi Productions banner and directed by Meraj. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini while Jeetendra has given ...

'', ''

Naukri ''Naukri'' () is a 1978 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It was critically acclaimed and became an unexpected flop at the box office. However over the years, the film has been appreciated by the audiences in its screening in tele ...

'', ''

Chakravyuha The Padmavyūha ( sa, पद्मव्यूह) or Chakravyūha ( sa, चक्रव्यूह) is a military formation used to surround enemies, depicted in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. It resembles a labyrinth of multiple defensive ...

'' 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 Simple Kapadia (15 August 1958 – 10 November 2009) was a Hindi film actress and costume designer, who was active in her professional career from 1987 until her death in 2009. Early and personal life Simple was born on 15 August 1958 to pare ...

opposite him in ''

Anurodh ''Anurodh'' (English: ''Request'') is a 1977 Hindi musical drama film, based on the 1963 Bengali film ''Deya Neya'', produced by Girija Samanta and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia who made ...

''. Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but ''Mehbooba'' was an exception. The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused some decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption nd establishmentto become successes. Actor Joy Mukherjee made ''

Chhailla Babu ''Chhailla Babu'' (Alternate name: Chhaila Babu) ( English language: Cool Guy) is a 1977 Bollywood suspense thriller film. It was written and produced by Shomu Mukherjee and directed by Joy Mukherjee. Rajesh Khanna plays the title role of ''Chh ...

'', a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director, and the unexpected success of ''

Chhailla Babu ''Chhailla Babu'' (Alternate name: Chhaila Babu) ( English language: Cool Guy) is a 1977 Bollywood suspense thriller film. It was written and produced by Shomu Mukherjee and directed by Joy Mukherjee. Rajesh Khanna plays the title role of ''Chh ...

'' gave a boost to the career of Khanna. However, Khanna continued basically in solo-hero socially 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'', ''

Anurodh ''Anurodh'' (English: ''Request'') is a 1977 Hindi musical drama film, based on the 1963 Bengali film ''Deya Neya'', produced by Girija Samanta and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia who made ...

'', ''

Bhola Bhala ''Bhola Bhala'' is a 1978 Bollywood action film, directed by Satpal and produced by V. Gopi Krishna. The film stars Rajesh Khanna in a double role and was paired opposite Rekha and Moushumi Chatterjee. The film revolves around the innocent in ...

'', ''Tinku'' and '' Karm''. Khanna was the first choice of director Raj Kapoor for the lead role in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, but some members from the Raj Kapoor camp opposed his presence. Many other reasons are stated but the role eventually went to Shashi Kapoor.

1980s

After 1978, Khanna starred in films like such as '' Amar Deep'', '' Phir Wohi Raat'', '' Bandish'', ''

Thodisi Bewafaii ''Thodisi Bewafaii'' () is a 1980 Hindi movie written and directed by Esmayeel Shroff. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shabana Azmi and Padmini Kohlapure. The music is by Khayyam.The film was a commercial hit and in some cities celebrated as a ...

'', '' Dard'', '' Kudrat'', '' Dhanwan'', ''

Ashanti (1982 film) ''Ashanti'' is a 1982 Hindi-language action-crime film directed by Umesh Mehra, starring Rajesh Khanna, Mithun Chakraborty, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Jeevan and Amrish Puri. Cast * Rajesh Khanna as Inspector Kumar Chandra Singh ...

'', '' Avtaar'', ''

Agar Tum Na Hote ''Agar Tum Na Hote'' () is a 1983 Indian Bollywood drama film directed by Lekh Tandon and starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar in leading roles. Lekh Tandon received the Best Director Award for this film in Filmfans Association of India ...

'', '' Souten'', '' Jaanwar'', ''

Asha Jyoti ''Asha Jyoti'' is a 1984 Hindi film starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Reena Roy in lead roles. The film was directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, who had also directed ''Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar'' with Khanna in the lead role and music was given by Laxm ...

'', ''

Awaaz Awaaz (transl. ''Voice'') is a 1984 Hindi action crime film directed by Shakti Samanta with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role and supported by Jaya Prada, Rakesh Roshan, Suresh Oberoi, Supriya Pathak, Iftekar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Amrish P ...

'', ''

Naya Kadam ''Naya Kadam'' () is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Jaya Prada, Sridevi and Padmini Kolhapure. Kader Khan, Ranjeet and Om Shivpuri are featured in supporting roles. This film ...

'', '' Hum Dono'', '' Babu'', '' Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar'', ''

Shatru ''Shatru/Birodh'' is a 1986 Hindi/Bengali-language film starring Rajesh Khanna in the lead in a role playing the role of an inspector in a remote village. The film was an Indo-Bangladeshi venture and the music was written by R.D. Burman. The ...

'', '' Insaaf Main Karoonga'', '' Anokha Rishta'', '' Nazrana'', '' Angaarey'', '' Adhikar'', '' Amrit'', '' Awam'' and ''

Rupaye Dus Karod ''Rupaye Dus Karod'' is a 1991 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Sikander Bharti, produced by Waman K. Deshmukh and written by Shabdh Kumar. The film was made in the style of formula-based potboilers and was a hit. It stars Rajesh ...

''. Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film '' Sigappu Rojakkal'' in Hindi with Khanna playing a psychopath. Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal. But the Hindi film '' Red Rose'' (1980) was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success. Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became an on and off screen couple of the eighties with movies such as ''

Fiffty Fiffty ''Fiffty Fiffty'' is a 1981 Indian Hindi romance drama film directed by Shomu Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim. Plot Thakur Virendra Singh lives a wealthy lifestyle in India along with his wife and a son, Kishan. His relative ...

'', '' Souten'', '' Suraag'', '' Aakhir Kyon?'', ''

Bewafai ''Bewafai'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Rajesh Khanna and Rajinikanth. The film was directed by R. Thyagarajan. Bewafai grossed Rs 11.95 crore at the box office in 1985. The film was a box office success.https://blogbuster.tatasky.com/look- ...

'', '' Insaaf Main Karoonga'', ''

Alag Alag ''Alag Alag'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim in the lead roles, produced by Rajesh Khanna and directed by one of his favourite directors Shakti Samanta. The film is best remembered for the way it was sh ...

'' and '' Adhikar''. Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films ''

Alag Alag ''Alag Alag'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim in the lead roles, produced by Rajesh Khanna and directed by one of his favourite directors Shakti Samanta. The film is best remembered for the way it was sh ...

'' and '' Adhikar'', both with Khanna. His on-screen pairings with Shabana Azmi,

Smita Patil Smita Patil (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian actress who worked in films, television series and theatres. She appeared in over 80 Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam and Kannada films in a career that spanned just ...

, Padmini Kolhapure and

Poonam Dhillon Poonam Dhillon (born 18 April 1962) is an Indian actress and politician. A former Femina Miss India (1977), she is best known for her 1979 film ''Noorie.'' Some of her well-known films include '' Red Rose'' (1980), '' Dard'' (1981), ''Romance'' ...

were also popular in the eighties. He also acted in the Marathi hit film ''Sundara Satarkar'' in 1981. Kamal Haasan was a close friend of Khanna. Khanna starred in Hindi remakes of 3 Tamil films originally starring Kamal, and Kamal acted in 2 remakes of Khanna's films. Kamal quoted in an interview, to narrate how he experienced Khanna's stardom in an incident in 1985 – "He probably hadn't been to a public theatre since he became a star. When we reached, things were okay. He enjoyed the mediocre film (''The Swarm'') thoroughly and refused to leave until the end titles. That's when I panicked. This was Rajesh Khanna, the star of the millennium. If audiences got to know he was present there would be a stampede and blood on my hands. But Mr Khanna refused to listen. He stayed on till the end. The inevitable happened after the show. All hell broke loose as audiences realised he was there. I became Rajesh Khanna's bodyguard and security officer as I took him through the crowd. His shirt was torn, but he was enjoying himself thoroughly. He giggled and chuckled like a child." Khanna performed in successful multi-star films including ''

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

'', '' Dharm Aur Qanoon'', ''Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai'', '' Zamana'', ''

Dil-E-Nadaan ''Dil-e-Nadaan'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada and Smita Patil. It is a remake of Sridhar's 1978 Tamil film '' Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirathu' ...

'' and ''

Ghar Ka Chiraag ''Ghar Ka Chiraag'' (transl. ''House Lamp'') is a 1989 Indian film in Hindi directed by Sikander Bharti. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Chunky Pandey, Neelam in the lead roles. Actor Chunky Pandey himself distributed this film. Cast *Rajesh Kha ...

''. He did three movies with Jeetendra: ''

Dharam Kanta ''Dharam Kanta'' ( Balance of Piety) is a 1982 Hindi-language action film, produced and directed by Sultan Ahmed under the Sultan Productions banner. It stars Raaj Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Reena Roy, Sulakshana Pand ...

'', '' Nishaan'' and '' Maqsad''. In 1984, '' Maqsad'' was the second-highest ranked film in terms of box office results, earning gross 8.5 crores. In '' Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar'', Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician. Viewers praised his role in the film. In 1985 he produced ''

Alag Alag ''Alag Alag'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim in the lead roles, produced by Rajesh Khanna and directed by one of his favourite directors Shakti Samanta. The film is best remembered for the way it was sh ...

''. According to ''The Guardian'' (UK), he had 11 releases as solo lead hero in the year 1985 and eight of them were hits. In 1985, the film ''

Bewafai ''Bewafai'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Rajesh Khanna and Rajinikanth. The film was directed by R. Thyagarajan. Bewafai grossed Rs 11.95 crore at the box office in 1985. The film was a box office success.https://blogbuster.tatasky.com/look- ...

'', with Khanna as the lead hero and Rajinikanth in a negative role, released and became a success and grossed Rs 11.95 crore at the box office that year. Before joining politics, one of his last films as the lead hero was '' Swarg'', released in 1990.

David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Hindi films. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller '' Aankhen'' and 1999 comedy '' Biwi No.1'' earned him two Filmfa ...

regards '' Swarg'' as his favourite directorial venture. In the year 1991, he starred in films – '' Ghar Parivaar'', ''

Rupaye Dus Karod ''Rupaye Dus Karod'' is a 1991 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Sikander Bharti, produced by Waman K. Deshmukh and written by Shabdh Kumar. The film was made in the style of formula-based potboilers and was a hit. It stars Rajesh ...

'' and '' Begunaah'' as the lead hero. He worked in films of different genres: tragedy in '' Babu'' as a rickshaw puller, thriller in '' Red Rose'' as a psychopath, political adventure in '' Awam'', fantasy in '' Bundalbaaz'' and '' Jaanwar'', crime in '' Phir Wohi Raat'' and ''

Angarey Angarey or Angaaray (translated alternatively as "Embers" or "Burning Coals") is a collection of nine short stories and a one act play in Urdu by Sajjad Zaheer, Rashid Jahan, Mahmud-uz-Zafar and Ahmed Ali first published in 1932 and gener ...

'', suspense in ''Chakravyuha'' and ''Ittefaq'', comedy in ''Joru Ka Ghulam'', ''

Bawarchi ''Bawarchi'' (translation: ''The Chef'') is a 1972 Indian Hindi musical comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K. Hangal, Usha Kiran and Durga Khote in supporting roles. Thi ...

'', ''Hum Dono'' and '' Masterji'', action in ''Ashanti'' and ''Zamana'', and family dramas addressing different issues in ''Aanchal'', ''Amrit'' and ''Agar Tum Na Hote'' and films addressing issues of social concerns; ''Avtaar'', ''Naya Kadam'' and ''Akhir Kyun''. He did films of different themes such as reincarnation in '' Kudrat'', spiritualism in '' Maalik'' and immaturity while falling in love in '' Anokha Rishta'', '' Nazrana'' and ''Dil E Nadan''. He played a variety of characters as the lead hero: a postman in '' Palkon Ki Chaon Mein'', a lawyer who proves that his senior has committed a rape 25 years earlier in ''Kudrat'', a politician in ''Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar'', a young musician forced by fate to marry two women in ''Asha Jyoti'', a professional advocate in ''Awaaz'', a fisherman in ''Prem Bandhan'', a patriot in '' Prem Kahani'', a righteous farmer in '' Bandhan'' and a Muslim who falls in love with a prostitute's daughter in '' Mehboob Ki Mehendi''. The main difference between him and his predecessors, successors, contemporaries was that Khanna's films ran successfully in whole of India and not just Hindi speaking areas and he did films of every genre simultaneously and has more critically acclaimed films to his credit than all other Hindi Actors of every generation. Khanna was the among the few actors who could manage to strike a balance between different kinds of cinema and remain popular with both kinds of audiences – masses and classes for displaying his craft. He shared close relationships with R. D. Burman and Kishore Kumar. The trio were friends and have worked together in thirty-two films. Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for ''

Alag Alag ''Alag Alag'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim in the lead roles, produced by Rajesh Khanna and directed by one of his favourite directors Shakti Samanta. The film is best remembered for the way it was sh ...

'', the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything. In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failures of a few films, but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him. 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 ''Sautela Bhai'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language film directed by B. R. Ishara, starring Rajesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Kumar Gaurav in lead roles. The film was a delayed release in 1996 and a big flop. It is a remake of an old popular movie Dh ...

''. 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. R.D. Burman had quoted in an interview – "I have always reserved the best music tunes for Kaka and I dont feel guilty about it, as he deserves it. Although Amitabh Bachchan was a fine actor, it will be Kaka who would be remembered forever and stay immortal". Pyarelal of the Laxmikant–Pyarelal duo quoted in an interview that "Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 film '' Do Raaste'' to the 1986 film ''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 Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trin ...

'' and films like '' Sachaa Jhutha'', ''

Chhailla Babu ''Chhailla Babu'' (Alternate name: Chhaila Babu) ( English language: Cool Guy) is a 1977 Bollywood suspense thriller film. It was written and produced by Shomu Mukherjee and directed by Joy Mukherjee. Rajesh Khanna plays the title role of ''Chh ...

'', ''

Chakravyuha The Padmavyūha ( sa, पद्मव्यूह) or Chakravyūha ( sa, चक्रव्यूह) is a military formation used to surround enemies, depicted in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. It resembles a labyrinth of multiple defensive ...

'', ''

Fiffty Fiffty ''Fiffty Fiffty'' is a 1981 Indian Hindi romance drama film directed by Shomu Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim. Plot Thakur Virendra Singh lives a wealthy lifestyle in India along with his wife and a son, Kishan. His relative ...

'', '' Amar Deep'', '' Bandish'', ''

Asha Jyoti ''Asha Jyoti'' is a 1984 Hindi film starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Reena Roy in lead roles. The film was directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, who had also directed ''Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar'' with Khanna in the lead role and music was given by Laxm ...

'' and ''

Anurodh ''Anurodh'' (English: ''Request'') is a 1977 Hindi musical drama film, based on the 1963 Bengali film ''Deya Neya'', produced by Girija Samanta and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia who made ...

''. Incidentally, he had a stake in '' Mehboob Ki Mehndi'' too. 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 ''Anurodh'' (English: ''Request'') is a 1977 Hindi musical drama film, based on the 1963 Bengali film ''Deya Neya'', produced by Girija Samanta and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia who made ...

'' only because Rajesh Khanna had some misunderstanding with Pancham then, and did not want to work with him." Khanna would always request music directors to fit in Kishore Kumar wherever possible. In fact, Kishore was very reluctant to sing "Waada Tera Waada" in '' Dushman'' and suggested to Laxmikant-Pyarelal to get it sung by Rafi. Then Laxmikant made Kishore meet Rajesh Khanna and Khanna winked at Laxmikant and told Kishore that in that case the song should be scrapped. On hearing this, Kishore immediately agreed to sing it by himself for Khanna. 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 Dina Pathak (née Gandhi; 4 March 1922 – 11 October 2002) was an Indian actress and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actor. She was an activist and President of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW). A doyenne of Hindi ...

and

A. K. Hangal Avtar Kishan Hangal (1 February 1914 – 26 August 2012) was an Indian freedom fighter from 1929 to 1947 and also stage actor from 1936 to 1965 and later became a character actor in Hindi language films from 1966 to 2005. His most notable role ...

, who remained part of his "working team" from the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was

Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He was nominated for the Filmfare award for Best lyricist a total of 40 times, resulting in 4 wins. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid) was bor ...

. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by

Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He was nominated for the Filmfare award for Best lyricist a total of 40 times, resulting in 4 wins. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid) was bor ...

had people swooning. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds. His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash, Prem Chopra and

D. Rama Naidu Daggubati Ramanaidu (6 June 1936 – 18 February 2015) was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was placed i ...

and

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early l ...

. Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road at that time, just to see Khanna. The younger generation stars like

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...

still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood ...

idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined; "Rajesh Khanna, you can't touch". Anupam Kher said "Kishore Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman, Rajesh Khanna and

Smita Patil Smita Patil (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian actress who worked in films, television series and theatres. She appeared in over 80 Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam and Kannada films in a career that spanned just ...

changed the face of Indian cinema. They're remembered by the films that they did." 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." 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." The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belts on shirts became famous in the seventies and eighties because of Khanna. Javed Akhthar, in an interview, told about his experience with 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". Actor

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

has told in many interviews that he or Aamir or Shahrukh have not even achieved 10 percent of kind of achievements Khanna had in field of acting or his stardom.

1990–2011

While serving as Congress

M.P. A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members ofte ...

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 with the same woman. In 1990, Khanna also worked in the blockbuster Swarg starring Govinda &

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

, where he was seen portraying a patron to the character played by the lead. After 1992, he appeared in only 10 films and declined most film offers. He made a comeback as an NRI in ''

Aa Ab Laut Chalen ''Aa Ab Laut Chalen'' (translation: ''Come, Let's Go Back'') is a 1999 Indian Hindi language romantic drama directed by Rishi Kapoor, making his directorial debut and also remains the only film he had directed in his career. The film's script wa ...

'' (1999), and ''

Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa ''Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa'' ( en, What Did the Heart Say?) is a 2002 Indian Hindi romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sanjay Chhel. The film was a remake of the Telugu film '' Swayamvaram''. Cast * Tusshar Kapoor as Rahul Vashisht * Esha Deol as ...

'' (2002) and played the solo lead in the films ''

Sautela Bhai ''Sautela Bhai'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language film directed by B. R. Ishara, starring Rajesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Kumar Gaurav in lead roles. The film was a delayed release in 1996 and a big flop. It is a remake of an old popular movie Dh ...

'' in 1996, ''

Pyar Zindagi Hai ''Pyar Zindagi Hai'' is an Indian television comedy series that premiered on Zee TV on 30 March 2003. The series is set in the Punjabi backdrop, and stars Rakhee Tandon & Mukul Dev in the main lead. Love, Life & Laughter are the three mantras ...

'' in 2001, ''Kaash Mere Hote'' in 2009, ''Wafaa'' in 2008 and ''Riyasaat'' in 2010. He did 4 television serials in the period 2000–2009. He appeared in a rare interview in the show '' Aap Ki Adalat'' in 1992, where he quoted to the interviewer

Rajat Sharma Rajat Sharma (born 18 February 1957) is an Indian journalist and businessperson who is the chairman and Editor-in-chief of India TV, an Indian news outlet. Sharma is known for his show ''Aap Ki Adalat'' in which he is seen interviewing politic ...

, "I would just ask if I am arrogant, how come all these producers made so many films with me. My fans who turned this actor into a superstar would have never accepted me if I was arrogant. If I was arrogant people would not have made me a Lok Sabha member because if someone is arrogant, that arrogance is visible. And this public knows everything and understand everything". 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. He was Faculty Guest of "Specialised Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies". On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

as a tribute to R. D. Burman. In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: ''Aapne Parai'' (B4U and DD Metro) and ''Ittefaq'' (Zee TV). He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment. 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. Khanna cited the lack of good roles for actors like him in 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". In 2009, on his 67th birthday,

Shemaroo Entertainment Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. is an Indian content creator, aggregator and distributor, specifically in the media and entertainment industry. It was founded by Buddhichand Maroo in 1962 as a book circulating library under the name Shemaroo and s ...

released his films and a song collection titled ''Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar''. In May 2012, Havells, the fan making company endorsed Khanna as Brand Ambassador for their new ad campaign featuring him in solo advertisements.

Political and business career

At the insistence of

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...

, he started campaigning for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

after 1984. In the election for New Delhi seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha election, Khanna lost to

L.K. Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...

by a narrow margin of 1589 votes, after which Khanna stood on the grounds at the counting station insisting that he had been cheated of a win. In 1992, a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to ...

was called after the resignation of the incumbent Member of Parliament

L.K. Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...

. Khanna contested the seat again, won the by-election by defeating

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 9 December 1945) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliam ...

by 25,000 votes. Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

, from the

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until 1996 after which he was not interested in active politics. When Khanna was MP, he did not accept new acting assignments, but only acted in the film '' Khudai'' (1994). After leaving parliament, he was a political activist for the INC and campaigned for the party till the 2012 Punjab election. Khanna and a group of foreign investors bought land in Shirdi in which built a religious resort for disciples of

Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to a ...

.

Personal life

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru. They were in a relationship for seven years. Khanna's sudden stardom and his insistence that Mahendru quit her acting career eventually ended their relationship. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the break-up. Later Khanna married the budding actress

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

in March 1973, before Kapadia's debut film '' Bobby'' released in September that year. Khanna and Kapadia have two daughters from the marriage; Twinkle and

Rinke Rinke is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara Rinke (born 1947), German politician * Carl J. Rinke (1902–1978), American businessman and politician * Carmen Rinke (born 1953), Canadian boxer * Christopher Rinke (born 1 ...

. Khanna and Kapadia separated in 1982, but never completed the divorce proceedings. According to Yasser Usman's biography of Khanna, the couple separated because Kapadia wished to return to acting. She had quit acting when she married Khanna since the latter wanted his partner to be a housewife. A few years after their marriage Kapadia decided to resume her career. However, Khanna remained adamant that his wife will not work. Kapadia eventually left Khanna and started her career in films. In the 1980s, Tina Munim was in love with Rajesh Khanna. Munim had been a fan of Rajesh since her school days. They appeared in ten films together between 1981 and 1986. According to website Bollywood Mantra reporter, Khanna refused to marry her as their marriage would have a bad impact on his daughters. Khanna and Kapadia however maintained an amicable relationship where they both were seen together at parties and family functions. Kapadia also campaigned for Khanna's election and worked in his film ''Jai Shiv Shankar'' (1990), although the film never got released. After Tina Munim's exit, Khanna resumed his friendship with Anju Mahendru. Khanna's elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

, while his younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress, is married to a London-based investment banker Samir Saran. On 17 July 2012, a woman named Anita Advani claimed that she had been Khanna's live-in partner, and sent a legal notice to his family members asking for compensation. The family denied the claims. His closest friends from the industry included Raj Kapoor,

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...

, Mumtaz, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Kishore Kumar, R.D. Burman,

Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He was nominated for the Filmfare award for Best lyricist a total of 40 times, resulting in 4 wins. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Prakash Vaid) was bor ...

, Sharmila Tagore,

D. Rama Naidu Daggubati Ramanaidu (6 June 1936 – 18 February 2015) was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was placed i ...

, Prem Chopra,

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

, Ashok Kumar and

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early l ...

. He also maintained cordial relationships with Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman,

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

,

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the recipient of ...

,

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 30 ...

,

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successfu ...

,

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films. He was the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Born into th ...

and Rakesh Roshan. In his later years, he became friendlier with

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

, who was billed as his main rival in the 1970s and 1980s.

Illness and death

In June 2012, it was reported that Rajesh Khanna's health had been deteriorating for some time. On 23 June he was admitted to

Lilavati Hospital The Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre is a private hospital located in Bandra, Mumbai, India. The hospital was established in 1978 by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. History In 1978, Kirtilal Manilal Mehta—a diamond ...

in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

due to health complications. He was discharged on 8 July from the hospital and was reportedly fine. On 14 July, Khanna was readmitted to the

Lilavati Hospital The Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre is a private hospital located in Bandra, Mumbai, India. The hospital was established in 1978 by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. History In 1978, Kirtilal Manilal Mehta—a diamond ...

, but was discharged on 16 July. He died on 18 July 2012, at his bungalow, Aashirwad, in Mumbai. Sources confirmed that his health had been deteriorating since July 2011 as he was diagnosed with cancer. After his death his co-star Mumtaz said that he was suffering from cancer for the duration of the prior year and had undergone chemotherapy sessions. His funeral took place on 19 July at 11:00. His funeral was attended by 9 lakh people and his fans had come from places like

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is ...

,

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...

, and even from foreign countries as well. Police had to resort to lathi-charge to control the crowd of fans who had gathered for the procession from his Bandra house to the crematorium. He died in the presence of his wife

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

, daughters Rinke Khanna and

Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna (also known as Tina Jatin Khanna; born on 29 December) is an Indian author, columnist, interior designer, film producer and a former film actress. In 2015, she released her first non-fiction book, " Mrs Funnybones" which was decl ...

, son-in-law

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

, Grandchildren, Anju Mahendru and other close relatives. His pyre was lit by his grandson, Aarav, with the assistance of

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

.

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

cited that Rajesh Khanna's last words were "Time is up, Pack up". In his special pre-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 and also shared as to how he became a successful actor without having any godfather behind him. On 25 July 2012, his ashes were immersed in the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

at

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in Dehradun district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges River and is a pilgrimage town for Hindus, with ancient sages and saints meditat ...

,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

by his wife

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

and daughter Rinke Khanna.

Influence and legacy

The

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

,

Pratibha Patil Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...

lamented 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." Prime Minister Dr.

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

and

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

who used to Chief Minister of Gujarat mourn on his death. Many celebrities including

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

,

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood ...

, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi,

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films. He was the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Born into th ...

and many politicians also paid homage to him after his death. His prayer meeting, organised in a grand way at the Taj Land's End hotel in Bandra,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

on 21 July 2012, was attended by many. Rajesh Khanna 2013 stamp of India

A postage stamp featuring Khanna was released by the India Post on 3 May 2013. On his first death anniversary, a bronze statue of Rajesh Khanna was unveiled at

Bandra Bandstand The Bandstand Promenade, also known as Bandra Bandstand is a 1.2 kilometer long walkway along the sea on the western coast of Mumbai, India in the neighborhood of Bandra. It is simultaneously a popular hangout spot, a jogging track and a park. ...

, Mumbai. A chowk (intersection) in Girgaon has been named "Superstar Rajesh Khanna Chowk" in his memory. A Park at Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi has been renamed as Superstar Rajesh Khanna Park in his memory.

Awards and nominations

Khanna won seven All-India Critics Association (AICA) Best Actor Awards, and received 10 nominations. He won four Best Actor Awards in the

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

, and received 25 nominations. He won three

Filmfare Best Actor Awards The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1954, presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury. This is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was first ...

, one Filmfare Special Guest Actor Award in 1973, and received a Filmfare Special Award in 1991, after 25 years in the

Hindi film industry Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. He received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th anniversary

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

ceremony in 2005. He also received the

IIFA Lifetime Achievement award The IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award is an Indian cinema prize, one of International Indian Film Academy Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by ...

in 2009.

Filmography

Producer

Co-producer

Playback singer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khanna, Rajesh 1942 births 2012 deaths Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Film producers from Punjab, India Male actors from Amritsar Punjabi people Filmfare Awards winners Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners Bollywood playback singers Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award winners Indian actor-politicians Indian male television actors India MPs 1991–1996 Indian male singers Male actors from Mumbai Indian male soap opera actors Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India Lok Sabha members from Delhi 20th-century Indian singers Indian male playback singers Politicians from Amritsar Singers from Punjab, India Hill Grange High School alumni

Early life and background

Acting career

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990–2011

Political and business career

Personal life

Illness and death

Influence and legacy

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Producer

Co-producer

Playback singer

Further reading

References

External links