11 things you don't know about Rajesh Khanna

Hindi cinema's original superstar Rajesh Khanna breathed his last on Wednesday. Here are 11 things you don't know about Kaka.

 

Mumbai, July 18, 2012 | UPDATED 16:22 IS   INDIA TODAY ONLINE

Fondly known as Kaka, Rajesh Khanna, featured in hits like Aaradhana and Amar Prem in the 1970s.

  

1. Rajesh Khanna's real name was  Jatin. His  claim   to  fame  was 

his  acting  career,  but  he  also  produced  films  and  served  as  a 

Member  of Parliament.  He appeared  in  163 feature films and 17 

short films.

2. Before  he  married  Dimple  Kapadia,  Rajesh Khanna bought a

 lavish  bungalow  called  Dimple  from actor  Rajendra Kumar and 

renamed   it   Aashirwad.   The  house   had   proven   unlucky   for 

"Jubilee"  Kumar,   but   Rajesh  Khanna   delivered  15  hits  in  a 

row, a record still unbroken by any actor.

3. As a struggling actor, Rajesh Khanna drove himself to work and back in his own MG sports car.  4. Even though Rajesh Khanna had a 100 per cent success rate with actress Mumtaz, delivering eight blockbuster films with her, Hema Malini was his heroine the most number of times. They appeared in 15 films together. 5. Rajesh Khanna was the highest paid actor from 1970-79 and shared the honour with Amitabh Bachchan from 1980-87. 6. His closest friends in Bollywood were singer Kishore Kumar and music director R D Burman. 7. Rajesh Khanna's debut film Aakhri Khat was India's official Oscar entry in 1967. It didn't make the final five cut. 8. Director Shekhar Kapur offered Mr India to Rajesh Khanna first, who turned it down because he couldn't relate to the invisible hero. The role finally went to Anil Kapoor.  9. Before he made it big, Rajesh Khanna was called the "faaltu hero" because of his unconventional features. With stardom came very different epithets -- Superstar and Pasha Of Passion.  10. The "guru kurta" he made famous was originally the garment of choice of farmers and small-time politicians.  11. Roop Tera Mastana from Aradhana, starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore, made history in Hindi cinema as the first single-take song. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/11-things-you-dont-know-about-rajesh-khanna/1/208958.html