Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Goggles of Rajesh Khanna
Shooting of Bollywood film concludes at Bani
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: The shooting of the Bollywood film ‘Goggles of Rajesh
Khanna’, has been successfully concluded in the picturesque valley of
Bani in Kathua district.
Written and directed by son of the soil, Sanjay Amar, the film featuring celebrated actors like Archana Puran Singh, Rajesh Sharma, Sharib Hashmi, Cherry Mardia, Shivang Sehgal, Virender Saxena, Puneet Vashishta, Sadhna Singh, is being produced by Subhash Sehgal under the banner of Sehgal Media and Amar Chand Motion Pictures. Ashraf Shawl and Sanjay Amar are the co-producers while Mohit Garg is the executive producer.
Talking to Excelsior, Sanjay Amar who originally hails from village Pallan of Tehsil Billawar, said that the film ‘Goggles of Rajesh Khanna’ is based on true events telling the story of a fan of superstar Rajesh Khanna who claims that he owns goggle which has been gifted to him by Rajesh Khanna himself as the token of their friendship bond and the goggle bring the satirical and political drama in the village he lives when he is asked by the head of the village to prove the validity of his claim.
Sanjay Amar said that ever since he had moved to Mumbai as a filmmaker, it was his ardent desire to showcase the natural beauty and unique Dogra culture of Jammu region through cinema. Shooting the feature film ‘Goggles of Rajesh Khanna’ in Bani has provided him an opportunity to show Dogra culture on the celluloid in an entertaining manner. It is the first film of Hindi cinema which has a full-fledged song in Dogri written by Sanjay Amar and presented in Dogra folk dance style called Geetru and performed by Khajoor Singh and party.
He said for the better expression of the story telling which is set in the backdrop of Dogra culture the cast of the film also includes local actors such as Janak Khajuria, Susham Sharma, Lalita Tapasvi, J.R.Sagar, Anil Tikoo and Raj Kumar Bhatt along with the artists from the Ramleela Club Basohli. Satvik Garg, a student of KendriyaVidyalaya, Nagrota, has been introduced as the child artist in the film, he added.
Sanjay Amar said that it was due to the inspiration and support of Shakti Pathak (OSD to Dy.CM) and MLA of Bani, Jeevan Lal, that his team could shoot the film peacefully in Bani area. Other who also extended their help included Ajeet Singh (SDM Bani), Surjeet Singh Chauhan, Ganesh Dutt, Moti Ram (Sarpanch), Rajesh Kapoor, Amit Gogna and Suresh Gautam (SHO).
Shivang Sehgal is not only the actor in the film but also is the production designer of the film while Winit Tikoo is doing the music.
‘Goggles of Rajesh Khanna’ is a film which aims at bringing the Jammu division on the Bollywood map and inspiring many other filmmakers to come and shoot in its virgin locations.
Published in :
http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/shooting-of-bollywood-film-concludes-at-bani/
Sunday, November 6, 2016
When Kamal Haasan Turned Bodyguard For Rajesh Khanna
The Quint
Dated : 7-11-2016
Entertainment
(This story is from The Quint’s archives
and was first published on 8 September 2016. It is being republished to
mark the birth anniversary of Kamal Haasan on 7 November.)
No one knew Rajesh Khanna well enough to be called a close
friend. The first superstar of Indian cinema had no friends, only
cronies, yes-men and sidekicks, with whom he drank the night away.
However Mr Khanna did form an incredibly strong bond with the doyen of
Tamil cinema Kamal Haasan, who turns 62 today.
They spent many hours together ruminating on life and success.
They spent many hours together ruminating on life and success.
I refused to call him ‘Kaka’ like everyone did. I was willing to call him Bade Bhaiyya or Mr Khanna. But not ‘Kaka’. That infuriated him. We spent many many hours together. I was this ‘upcoming actor from the South’ — that’s how he introduced me in Mumbai. He was the undisputed king of Hindi cinema.Kamal Haasan, Actor
Since Rajesh Khanna did a lot of South Indian remakes, he was often in Chennai. That’s how the friendship started.
We spent a lot of time discussing cinema and life. He would sometimes get philosophical about the inconsequentiality of life. Once we went to a movie together. It was a mediocre American film called The Swarm, and I decided to take him to a theatre in the heart of the city. He didn’t know we were going to a public screening. 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 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 THE 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.Kamal Haasan
Rajesh Khanna’s better-half Dimple Kapadia gave her friend
Kamal Haasan (the two were pals ever since they co-starred in Ramesh
Sippy’s Sagar) a piece of her mind.
She (Dimple Kapadia) wanted to know what was I thinking when I took him to a public screening. Anything could have happened.Kamal Haasan
Dimple and Rajesh Khanna!! pic.twitter.com/eV2XLqNAba— Marina (@Marina_Ravina) October 4, 2013
Rajesh Khanna watched a lot of Kamal Haasan’s films for remake rights. One of his celebrated films Sigappu Rojjakal was remade as Red Rose. One fine day the phone rang in his office.
This was the era of the landline phones. My personal assistant, a big Rajesh Khanna fan, was over the moon as god himself asked him about his wellbeing. Mr Khanna announced he was doing a remake of my film Sigappu Rojjakal, and that the mahurat was the very next day, and would I please send him the cap that I wore for my character, since he wanted to wear it at the event and in the film. I agreed. Who says no to Rajesh Khanna?! He also commanded me to be present at the mahurat in Mumbai the next day. I protested saying that I wasn’t needed. He insisted. He wanted to introduce me as the upcoming star from the south. Anyway the cap was sent from Chennai to Mumbai by hand delivery (there was no courier those days) by a man, who unfortunately turned out to be a fan of both Rajesh Khanna and Kamal Haasan.Kamal Haasan
The fan decided he didn’t want to part with the precious cap.
Laughs Kamal, “Mr Khanna was livid. ‘Since you were coming why couldn’t
you just bring it with you?’ Many other caps were brought forth. But he
wanted only that one cap.” Kamal was fascinated by Rajesh Khanna’s aura.
I never wanted to be a star. I observed him. Our friendship came to a sorry ending at a party in his house where he was less than polite. But my friendship with Dimple is forever. It’s like the lines from the immortal Geeta Dutt song Beqaraar dil iss tarah miley, jiss tarah kabhi, hum judaa na thhey. Whenever we meet, no matter how long is the gap, it’s like we had never stopped meeting. I know we’ll remain friends for as long as we’re alive. My daughter Shruti will make sure of that. She’s even fonder of Dimple than I am.
Published by :
https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/2016/11/07/when-kamal-haasan-turned-bodyguard-for-rajesh-khanna-birthday-shabash-naidu
I had lost the election and also a friend in Rajesh Khanna: Shatrughan Sinha
PTI
Published Oct 13, 2016, 8:10 pm IST
Updated Oct 13, 2016, 8:11 pm IST
Sinha confessed that contesting opposite Rajesh Khanna was his biggest political regret.
The
70-year-old actor said that he wanted to break the ice between him and
the veteran actor when the latter was battling for life, but nothing
materialised.
Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha
today said he had to "pay a price" for his honesty in both his political
and acting career.
Recalling his short stint as the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Sinha said, "I started an anti-tobacco campaign when I was the Health minister. I do not know whether it is true, but people say that I was shunted from health to shipping because the tobacco lobby was against me."
The BJP MP from Bihar was speaking at the ongoing Kumaon Literary Festival here.
"No allegations have come up against me (in my political life) and sometimes for that, you may have to pay a price. When you are honest, you end up locking the ways of people near you. They then pull you down," he said.
Sinha said that he has had to pay a similar price in his eventful acting career.
The outspoken parliamentarian said his biggest regret was starting his political career with a by-election opposite Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna, on the orders of senior BJP leader L K Advani.
Sinha said he not only lost the election, but also a friend in Khanna.
"My biggest political regret has been to start my political career with a by-election, of course on the orders of my friend, philosopher, guide and guru, L K Advani. I could not say no to him. He insisted that I fight.
"I fought, and that too against my very dear friend late, the great Rajesh Khanna. And I lost, or was maybe made to lose...That is a different story altogether," the actor said.
He said Khanna had stopped talking to him after the polls, which left the 'Khamosh' actor hurt.
"He had stopped talking to me and I was very hurt about it. I had apologised," he said.
The 70-year-old actor said that he wanted to break the ice between him and the veteran actor when the latter was battling for life, but nothing materialised.
"When I was in the hospital for a bypass surgery 2 years ago, Rajesh Khanna was battling for life..I told my daughter that I would go and apologise to him again...Unfortunately I could not make it," he said.
Published by :
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/131016/i-lost-the-election-and-also-a-friend-in-rajesh-khanna-shatrughan-sinha.html
Recalling his short stint as the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Sinha said, "I started an anti-tobacco campaign when I was the Health minister. I do not know whether it is true, but people say that I was shunted from health to shipping because the tobacco lobby was against me."
The BJP MP from Bihar was speaking at the ongoing Kumaon Literary Festival here.
"No allegations have come up against me (in my political life) and sometimes for that, you may have to pay a price. When you are honest, you end up locking the ways of people near you. They then pull you down," he said.
Sinha said that he has had to pay a similar price in his eventful acting career.
The outspoken parliamentarian said his biggest regret was starting his political career with a by-election opposite Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna, on the orders of senior BJP leader L K Advani.
Sinha said he not only lost the election, but also a friend in Khanna.
"My biggest political regret has been to start my political career with a by-election, of course on the orders of my friend, philosopher, guide and guru, L K Advani. I could not say no to him. He insisted that I fight.
"I fought, and that too against my very dear friend late, the great Rajesh Khanna. And I lost, or was maybe made to lose...That is a different story altogether," the actor said.
He said Khanna had stopped talking to him after the polls, which left the 'Khamosh' actor hurt.
"He had stopped talking to me and I was very hurt about it. I had apologised," he said.
The 70-year-old actor said that he wanted to break the ice between him and the veteran actor when the latter was battling for life, but nothing materialised.
"When I was in the hospital for a bypass surgery 2 years ago, Rajesh Khanna was battling for life..I told my daughter that I would go and apologise to him again...Unfortunately I could not make it," he said.
Published by :
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/131016/i-lost-the-election-and-also-a-friend-in-rajesh-khanna-shatrughan-sinha.html
Friday, October 14, 2016
Kamal Haasan shares memories from the time when he and Rajesh Khanna were close friends
| 4 min read
Untold Stories: Kamal Haasan Shared A Deep Bond With Rajesh Khanna
No one knew Rajesh Khanna well enough to be called a close
friend. The first superstar of Indian cinema had no friends, only
cronies, yes-men and sidekicks, with whom he drank the night away.
However Mr Khanna did form an incredibly strong bond with the doyen of
Tamil cinema Kamal
Haasan.
They spent many hours together ruminating on life and success.
Haasan.
They spent many hours together ruminating on life and success.
I refused to call him ‘Kaka’ like everyone did. I was willing to call him Bade Bhaiyya or Mr Khanna. But not ‘Kaka’. That infuriated him. We spent many many hours together. I was this ‘upcoming actor from the South’—that’s how he introduced me in Mumbai. He was the undisputed king of Hindi cinema.Kamal Haasan, Actor
Since Rajesh Khanna did a lot of South Indian remakes, he was often in Chennai. That’s how the friendship started.
We spent a lot of time discussing cinema and life. He would sometimes get philosophical about the inconsequentiality of life. Once we went to a movie together. It was a mediocre American film called The Swarm, and I decided to take him to a theatre in the heart of the city. He didn’t know we were going to a public screening. 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 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 THE 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.Kamal Haasan
Rajesh Khanna’s better-half Dimple Kapadia gave her friend
Kamal Haasan (the two were pals ever since they co-starred in Ramesh
Sippy’s Sagar) a piece of her mind.
She (Dimple Kapadia) wanted to know what was I thinking when I took him to a public screening. Anything could have happened.Kamal Haasan
Dimple and Rajesh Khanna!! pic.twitter.com/eV2XLqNAba— Marina (@Marina_Ravina) October 4, 2013
Rajesh Khanna watched a lot of Kamal Haasan’s films for remake rights. One of his celebrated films Sigappu Rojjakal was remade as Red Rose. One fine day the phone rang in his office.
This was the era of the landline phones. My personal assistant, a big Rajesh Khanna fan, was over the moon as god himself asked him about his wellbeing. Mr Khanna announced he was doing a remake of my film Sigappu Rojjakal, and that the mahurat was the very next day, and would I please send him the cap that I wore for my character, since he wanted to wear it at the event and in the film. I agreed. Who says no to Rajesh Khanna?! He also commanded me to be present at the mahurat in Mumbai the next day. I protested saying that I wasn’t needed. He insisted. He wanted to introduce me as the upcoming star from the south. Anyway the cap was sent from Chennai to Mumbai by hand delivery (there was no courier those days) by a man who unfortunately turned out to be a fan of both Rajesh Khanna and Kamal Haasan.Kamal Haasan
The fan decided he didn’t want to part with the precious cap.
Laughs Kamal, “Mr Khanna was livid. ‘Since you were coming why couldn’t
you just bring it with you?’ Many other caps were brought forth. But he
wanted only that one cap.” Kamal was fascinated by Rajesh Khanna’s aura.
I never wanted to be a star. I observed him. Our friendship came to a sorry ending at a party in his house where he was less than polite. But my friendship with Dimple is forever. It’s like the lines from the immortal Geeta Dutt song Beqaraar dil iss tarah miley, jiss tarah kabhi, hum judaa na thhey. Whenever we meet, no matter how long is the gap, it’s like we had never stopped meeting. I know we’ll remain friends for as long as we’re alive. My daughter Shruti will make sure of that. She’s even fonder of Dimple than I am.
Published by :
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=558326833188201376#editor/target=page;pageID=4588149212630602068
Thursday, October 13, 2016
No actor had as crazy a fan following as Rajesh Khanna : Sharmila Tagore
(Reuters) Wed, 18 Jul 2012 - 09:56pm, Kolkata, PTI
She said wherever she went with him they found long queues of
excited fans waiting to have a glimpse of him. Veteran actress Sharmila
Tagore, who paired in a number of hits with Rajesh Khanna, said no
other actor ever had a fan following like the superstar. "He was most
certainly the first superstar and with due respect to other actors,
nobody created that kind of a craze after him," Sharmila said.
Recalling that she was a witness to that phase of his career when the
actor's stardom was at its peak in the '70s, she said wherever she went
with him they found long queues of excited fans waiting to have a
glimpse of him. "I am very upset at the news of his death," she said.
Khanna, she said, had an inherent enigma in him and his appeal went
beyond age groups. "Elderly woman would want to mother him. Younger
women wanted to fall in love with him. And the men also liked him
because he had a lot of energy and style. He brought together people
from nine-year-olds to ninety-year-olds," Sharmila said. After the 1969
hit film Aradhana, she recreated her chemistry with Khanna in films
like Safar, Avishkaar and Amar Prem. "Most of my films with him have
been hits. Aradhana was a very big hit while Avishkaar is a cult film. I
have very positive memories of him. He was a wonderful actor, had a
wonderful voice and came from a theatre background," Sharmila, herself a
National Award winning actress, said.
PUBLISHED BY :
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-no-actor-had-as-crazy-a-fan-following-as-rajesh-khanna-sharmila-tagore-1716746
Had to pay a price for my honesty: Shatrughan Sinha - TOI
PTI | Updated: Oct 13, 2016, 19:22 IST
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha today said he had to 'pay a price' for his honesty in both his political and acting career.
Recalling his short stint as the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare under the Atal Bihari Vajpayeegovernment, Sinha said, "I started an anti-tobacco campaign when I was the Health minister. I do not know whether it is true, but people say that I was shunted from health to shipping because the tobacco lobby was against me."
The BJP MP from Bihar was speaking at the ongoing Kumaon Literary Festival here.
"No allegations have come up against me (in my political life) and sometimes for that, you may have to pay a price. When you are honest, you end up locking the ways of people near you. They then pull you down," he said.
Sinha said that he has had to pay a similar price in his eventful acting career.
The outspoken parliamentarian said his biggest regret was starting his political career with a by-election opposite Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna, on the orders of senior BJP leader L K Advani.
Sinha said he not only lost the election, but also a friend in Khanna.
"My biggest political regret has been to start my political career with a by-election, of course on the orders of my friend, philosopher, guide and guru, L K advani. I could not say no to him. He insisted that I fight.
"I fought, and that too against my very dear friend late, the great Rajesh Khanna. And I lost, or was maybe made to lose...That is a different story altogether," the actor said.
Recalling his short stint as the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare under the Atal Bihari Vajpayeegovernment, Sinha said, "I started an anti-tobacco campaign when I was the Health minister. I do not know whether it is true, but people say that I was shunted from health to shipping because the tobacco lobby was against me."
The BJP MP from Bihar was speaking at the ongoing Kumaon Literary Festival here.
"No allegations have come up against me (in my political life) and sometimes for that, you may have to pay a price. When you are honest, you end up locking the ways of people near you. They then pull you down," he said.
Sinha said that he has had to pay a similar price in his eventful acting career.
The outspoken parliamentarian said his biggest regret was starting his political career with a by-election opposite Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna, on the orders of senior BJP leader L K Advani.
Sinha said he not only lost the election, but also a friend in Khanna.
"My biggest political regret has been to start my political career with a by-election, of course on the orders of my friend, philosopher, guide and guru, L K advani. I could not say no to him. He insisted that I fight.
"I fought, and that too against my very dear friend late, the great Rajesh Khanna. And I lost, or was maybe made to lose...That is a different story altogether," the actor said.
Get cashless claim at 4900+ network hospitalsReligare Health Insurance
Be Empowered. Be at Capgemini!Capgemini IndiaHe said Khanna had stopped talking to him after the polls, which left the 'Khamosh' actor hurt.
"He had stopped talking to me and I was very hurt about it. I had apologised," he said.
The 70-year-old actor said that he wanted to break the ice between him and the veteran actor when the latter was battling for life, but nothing materialised.
"When I was in the hospital for a bypass surgery 2 years ago, Rajesh Khanna was battling for life..I told my daughter that I would go and apologise to him again...Unfortunately I could not make it," he said.
PUBLISHED BY :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/latest-hindi-movie-news-bollywood-movies-news-updates/bollywood/news/Had-to-pay-a-price-for-my-honesty-Shatrughan-Sinha/articleshow/54834680.cms?slideshow=46632784&slide=46632792#4
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