Bollywood's
original superstar- simply the phenomenon to some died in Mumbai
Wednesday, leaving behind memories cast in celluloid of that famous
crooked smile and head tilt. He was only 69.
From the dizzying
heights of fame to quiet shadows behind the arclights, Rajesh
Khanna's life had a theatrical sweep, almost like one of his films.
Bollywood's original superstar - simply the phenomenon to some - died
in Mumbai Wednesday, leaving behind memories cast in celluloid of
that famous crooked smile and head tilt. He was only 69.
In an era long
before this age of instant connect of mobile phones and internet,
Rajesh Khanna was the man who sparked a frenzy never seen before and
never since, not even by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.
His very name spelt
magic in the 1970s. He sparked hysteria, particularly amongst his
legions of women fans, who would line the road for a glimpse, chant
his name, cover his car with lipstick marks and even write him
letters in blood. They got married to his photograph, cut their
finger, let the blood flow and applied 'sindoor'.
Truly, "O mere
di ke chain"!
Kaka, as he was
popularly known, was one of the highest paid actors of his time, his
record of consecutive solo super hits still unbroken. Who can forget
the years between 1970-1979 when he starred in mega hits like Safar,
Kati Patang, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna, Anand, Amar Prem and Mere
Jeevan Saathi. Ever the urbane, suave romantic who wooed like few
others.
Glory and fame
galore came his way with the two 1969 films - Aradhana and Do Raaste
- where he teamed up with two of his best co-stars, Sharmila Tagore
and Mumtaz, respectively. Both the films were super hits. Hindi
film's first superstar was born.
Between Aradhana in
1969 and Prem Kahani in 1975, Rajesh enjoyed god-like status.
It was all about
charisma - a certain something that went beyond the art of acting. He
had that unique way of delivering a dialogue, of crinkling his eyes
and that interesting head tilt that were all his own - and designed
to get fans swooning.
Describing the charm
of Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh once said: "I got famous purely
because I was working with Rajesh Khanna in 'Anand'. People asked me
questions like, 'How is he to look at? What does he do?'"
The mega story had a
small beginning in Amritsar. Born Jatin Arora on Dec 29, 1942, he was
adopted and raised by foster parents.
He went from being
Jatin to Rajesh, thanks to his uncle who changed his name, when he
decided to join films. In 1965, the journey to filmdom started after
he won the All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and
Filmfare. He made his debut with Aakhri Khat in 1966.
It was a fairly easy
road to superstardom after that.
He became the
heartthrob of the nation, singing timeless melodies like Mere Sapnon
Ki Rani... in Aradhana, Zindagi Ek Safar in Andaaz or Yeh Shaam
Mastani in Kati Patang. Singer Kishore Kumar and composer R.D. Burman
were amongst his closest friends.
In his four-decade
career, he appeared in about 160 films, of which 106 had him as the
solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects.
Rajesh proved his
mettle in offbeat films too. He teamed up with Hrishikesh Mukherjee
for the critically acclaimed Bawarchi and Namak Haram. The
quintessential romantic also did the intense Avishkar, directed by
Basu Bhattacharya.
But then age caught
up and the star began fading away.
He moved to
television and played the main lead in two serials - Ittefaque and
Apne Paraye during 2001-02 and also featured in Raghukul Reet Sada
Chali Aayi between 2008-09.
The decline to
B-grade films was inevitable. There was also the sorry Wafa with
Laila Khan, who was found murdered this July.
He dabbled in
politics, being Congress MP from the New Delhi constituency from
1991-1996.
Like the Hollywood
legends of yore, the personal life also had a larger than life
dimension.
He fell in love with
Dimple Kapadia, who was only 16 and whose first film Bobby was yet to
release. She was 15 years younger to him but the pull was strong and
they got married after a whirlwind romance in 1973.
It was the stuff of
tabloid headlines. They had two daughters Twinkle and Rinke. The
marriage lasted only 11 years.
It was a lonely life
for Rajesh after that. He disappeared from the headlines and appeared
to be a shadow of his former self in his rare public appearances.
But the family came
together in his last days. His estranged wife was the one who took
care of him during his illness. Son-in-law Akshay Kumar was also a
great comfort.
Rajesh reappeared in
an ad a few months before his death, and once again became the talk
of town - he was clearly unwell but the zest in his voice was intact
as he intoned "Babumoshai" from his much loved film Anand.
Like Anand from the
film, the man is gone. But the memories will live on.
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