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Amitabh Bachchan gives a behind-the-scenes interview for the English and Hindi language versions of the TeachAIDS animations at his office in Mumbai, India.
Photo credit: TeachAIDS (TeachAIDS.org)
an ode to a great versatile actor
a painting on a 250 feet wall
but some disgruntled attention
seeking pissed of over the hill
poets love to find faults seeing
Mithunda on a Shillong wall..
famous artist Ranjit Dahiya
they try to bad mouth him
belittle him make him look
small..but he is larger than life
much tall all in all his detractors
need a kick up their balls ..
BAP of Mumbai Street Art .
against a useless Troll
Ranjit Dahiya
www.facebook.com/Firoze-Shakir-Photographer-No-1-78699733...
A quote in English (not the translation of title):
“Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, If you are not willing to move your feet.”
Song: Manzilein Apni Jagah
Film: Sharaabi
Press 'L' to enjoy a better view.
#DontLetHerGo - Kangana Ranaut, Amitabh Bachchan & more Bollywood comes together for 'Swachh Bharat' #Ranaut, #Kangana, #Swachh, #Bharat, #Bachchan, #Amitabh, #Asst, #Dikhao, #Aur, #Dontlethergo #Contfeed
Check out here >> cofd.co/r6pjm
It's not everyday you see an Indian walking around Cairo... and it's also not everyday you see a famous Bollywood film star walking around Cairo. But today, I saw both.
Now let me preface by saying that I'm not a die-hard Bollywood fan by any stretch of the imagination -- for a big part of my life I found all things Bollywood very annoying. But I get star struck very easily, and come on. It's Hrithik Roshan. Second to probably only Shahrukh Khan! Or Amitabh Bachan (which, by the way, to Egyptians is any Indian person. I've stopped counting how many times I've been told here that I look like him... wow).
So Kiran was in the UAE for Eid break, Abu Dhabi for the first half and Dubai for the second half. She was coming back today and I was picking her up from the airport. Her plane back to Cairo from Dubai was set to land at 6:40 p.m. via EgyptAir. And it did, on the dot. But where was I? Wandering around in the other terminal (Terminal 1) for fun.
Kiran texts me, "Just landed." So I quickly head over to Terminal 3, not realizing that she still has to go through customs/passport stuff. But boy am I glad I left and rushed when I did.
Why? Because as I sat down in the front seat of the free airport shuttle, guess who came waltzing in? Well I don't know. But she was tall, had super straight hair, was wearing nice clothes and had these nice shades on. She was definitely not Egyptian. I have Indian girl radar (which still works here in Egypt where most girls could pass for either Pakistani or Indian) so I knew immediately she was a foreigner. And it was only confirmed when I saw the man behind her. A very light-brown eye-colored Indian man with a hat and the face of a prince (or of a Mughal emperor... the third to be precise... ahem -- haha).
I knew almost immediately, my heart told me, this man... this man was famous. He looked straight into my eyes when he walked onto the bus. I got chills. I had a hunch who he was immediately, but it couldn't be. There is absolutely no way he's in Cairo. Why the heck is he in Cairo? This cannot be. He looks shorter than I would have thought. Why is he in Cairo? And why is he on the free airport shuttle! So I quickly glanced at his right hand. Two thumbs. Yep. This is him. This, is Hrithik Roshan.
I look the other direction, as if I was like, "Psh, big deal." But the moment I looked away, it hit me. Hrithik Roshan is on the same bus as me, and not one Egyptian person knows who he is. My starstruckitis kicked in, I started to mildly flip out.
What to do, what to say! Wait! I need to photograph him, no one will believe me. But oh no, I left my camera at my apartment. The first time I ever really need the camera and it's not here! Oh great, now no one will believe me.
But no worries, I'll chat them up. Make friends.
People, I kid you not, I tried chatting it up with Hrithik Roshan. He wasn't alone, aside from that girl (who I'm just going to assume is his wife, Suzanne Khan, even though that girl looked nothing like the Suzanne Khan I Googled... but that could be because of the shades), he had three or four servant-type people... whom he wasn't very nice to. Oh well. But those are the guys that answered me when I tried to talk to Hrithik on the bus.
I knew where they were coming from without asking or looking at the tags on their bags. They were also coming from Dubai. But via the Emirates flight that landed at 6 p.m. at Terminal 1. The servant-guy told me they were heading to Terminal 3 to get on another flight, so I told them to stay on the shuttle as it's where I was heading.
I text Kiran immediately. "Get your camera ready, they're coming to terminal 3." I didn't have to explain who because I had already spilled the beans immediately as he got on the bus.
So we get to Terminal 3, but Kiran is still in customs. No camera, except for my phone. And Hrithik was probably getting ready to board another flight, so I go up to him and supposed-Suzanne and tell them, "Hey, do you mind if I bother you for a photograph? It's not everyday I see a Bollywood film star in Cairo!" Hrithik kind of laughs but gestures me to come to him. He was nicer than I thought he would be after his display with the servant-people. But I'm confused. I don't want one of me, I want one of him and his girl. I guess I'm just so used to taking red carpet shots that I've forgotten the obvious thing to do in this position would be to pose with the superstar! "You come stand with me, and we'll ask the lady to take our photo." I was a little offended by the way he was speaking to me, but hey, it's Hrithik Roshan. He knows what he's doing. So I give the girl/wife/lady my phone (which I will never wash by the way) and she takes our photo. Then I try to chat them up a little bit longer, but they seem rushed, so I walk away. "See ya." haha. I was so nonchalant about the whole thing. I should've shook his hand. Then challenged him to a thumb war. Now that would be an unfair fight.
So that, my friends, is the story of the day I met Hrithik Roshan. I'm leaving out a big boring chunk in the middle, but don't worry about it. All you have to know is that I touched Hrithik Roshan before I touched the pyramids. It was spectacular... or should I say peck-tacular -- haha, couldn't resist. He seemed a lot more flabby than I would've thought. And why am I as tall as him! That's a little depressing. Or comforting. Who knows for sure. Anyway, that's that!
I know how goofy my face and my hair looks -- it was windy and well, it was Hrithik Roshan.
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blog: modenadude.com
Amitabh Bachchan gives a behind-the-scenes interview for the English and Hindi language versions of the TeachAIDS animations at his office in Mumbai, India.
Photo credit: TeachAIDS (TeachAIDS.org)
KASHMIR IN CRISIS, CIVILIANS HOSTAGE TO SECURITY FORCES
A Dharna to register protest against killings of Innocent Civilians in
Kashmir at Jantar Mantar was organised by ANHAD. The dharna was two
hour long where representatives from various civil society groups
gathered to demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Following people expressed their views in protest: Shabnam Hashmi
(ANHAD), Harsh Kapoor (South Asia Citizens Web), Navaid Hamid
(Member,NIC), Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy (JNU), Prof. Anuradha Chenoy
(JNU), Tanveer Hussain Khan (ANHAD), Indu Prakash (IGSSS), Madhu
Chandra (North Eastern Helpline), Divya (YWCA), Sanjay Kumar (AAA),
Amitabh Pandey (Free Lancer), Ravi Himadri (The other Media), Prof.
Rizwan Kaisar (Jamia Millia Islamia), Swami Agnivesh, Mansi Sharma
(ANHAD), Seema Duhan (ANHAD). The following statement was released to
the Media.
It is a matter of grave concern and anguish that no sensitive measures
have been taken by the Central Government in response to the ongoing
deaths, injuries and killings in cold-blood of civilians in Srinagar
and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including young girls and
boys, most of them innocent, peaceful protestors, or even just
bystanders. And consequently both North and South regions of the
valley are on flame. To make matters worse, the Army, along with
para-military forces, have been issued orders to shoot at sight to
uphold the almost relentless curfew -- basically to block protests
against the continuing spiral of non-stop and indiscriminate killings
of innocent civilians. The presence of army and security forces
dominates the Valley and reinforces the deep-rooted angst of people.
The reality is that democracy is under severe strain and is almost
absent in many parts in this state, despite an elected government
backed by the Centre holding the reigns of power at Srinagar.
ANHAD and many other concerned civil society groups in India want the
governments in the state and Centre to come out clean -- urgently and
immediately -- and explain if this is indeed a democratic and
constitutional method of handling a manifold and multiplying crisis in
a highly sensitive region. Obviously, the establishment thinks that
branding it as mere law and order problem and repression and killings
would 'calm down' the situation as sensitive and grim as that of Jammu
and Kashmir. This will be like choking tens of thousands of people
into the silence of absolute suffering and blind rage. Will this
violence ever stop, and will we ever find the root causes for a
political solution based on consensus, understanding, mutual harmony
and human rights?
Tuesday began with protests against one death which led to the second
death and then suddenly, Srinagar was back under curfew. The cycle of
violence has spun out of control all over again. Last week witnessed a
similar series of killings taking its toll in Anantnag district where
people were killed in clashes with security forces since they were not
allowed to protest against the killings of civilians. This has become
a tragic and vicious circle of hopelessness.
Instead of issuing any statement of sympathy or concern or wisdom, our
highest offices of governance in the country, are only pushing for an
escalation in the number of deployment of security forces. This
clearly indicates the callous attitude of the governments in Delhi and
Srinagar. Such acts of brutality are in complete violation of the law
of the land and constitutional rights of the people that have resulted
in mass outrage and alienation of large sections of the civilian
population in Kashmir.
These are unarmed, non-violent citizens, who are being treated with
such blatant and indiscriminate use of military force -- why? Is there
no other way to negotiate with civil unrest? And what is the root
cause of this civil unrest if not the brutalities executed by the
police and para military forces? And what about cases of atrocities
committed on people who are not even protesting?
There is no excuse for such cruelty. Despite repeated assurances by
the central and state governments of zero tolerance towards human
rights violations, the fact remains that little has been done to
punish those responsible for such heinous and gross violations. This
organised insensitivity and vacillation to act firmly against such
elements is bound to put a question mark on the credibility of the
State and its track record in terms of human and democratic rights of
the people, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Mere rhetoric and
institution of official enquiries is not enough to restore the
shattered and shaken confidence of the people. It is imperative that
the central and state authorities take firm and visible action against
those responsible for unleashing this brutish violence on innocent
people. Any delay will only compound the alienation and anger of the
people -- resulting in irrefutable damage to the peace process in the
Valley and elsewhere in the state.
ANHAD expresses serious concern over the absolute antipathy and lack
of political initiative displayed by the UPA-led central government in
response to the situation in the valley. They should learn some
lessons from history. People cannot be won over or suppressed at gun
point. Certainly, the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve a more
rational, humane, visionary and sensitive response from the Indian
State.
We demand from the Central and the State governments to:
Take immediate action to prevent further loss of life and property
Put an end to the violence perpetrated by the security forces with
immediate effect.
Immediately appoint an independent and impartial time bound Commission
of Enquiry to look into the killings of peaceful civilians & human
rights violations
Initiate an inquiry into instances of attacks on ambulance services
Ensure security of the journalists both of local and national media
Ensure freedom of expression and press
Immediately start a political dialogue with various stake holders
Endorsed By:
1. Aashima Subberwal- Delhi University
2. Abeer Gupta - filmmaker
3. Adnan Nabi – Kashmir
4. Alana Hunt – Artist
5. Ali Asghar – Social Activist, Hyderabad
6. Amit Sengupta, Journalist, Delhi
7. Amrita Nandy – SANGAT
8. Anil Choudhury- Peace
9. Aniruddha Dutta, Jadavpur University , Kolkata
10. Anjali Thomas – Student DU
11. Anjum Rajabali, Cinema Script writer
12. Ankita Dash – Student DU
13. Appu Esthose Suresh - The Sunday Guardian, Delhi
14. Aqsa Anjum – Delhi
15. Arindam Jit Singh – Team Nishan
16. Arun Kumar Tiwari – Anhad
17. Aslam Khan – Student, Jamia Milia Islamia
18. Astha Rajan – Anhad
19. Atique Farooqui – Lucknow
20. Avinash Kumar-Oxfam India
21. Biju Mathew – Professor of Business, Rider University, NJ, USA
22. Bindia Thapar - Architect/Illustrator, New Delhi.
23. Bobby Kunhu – Researcher and Writer
24. Colin Gonsalves-Human Rights Law Network
25. David Devadas - Senior Journalist
26. Dev Desai – Gujarat
27. Dhananjay Tripathi – South Asians for Human Rights
28. Dunu Roy – Hazards Centre
29. Fahad Shah, journalist, Srinagar
30. Faizen Haider Naqvi - Businessman, Delhi
31. Gauri Dasan Nair – Senior Journalist, kerala
32. Gowher Nabi Gora – J and K
33. Harsh Dobhal- Human Rights Law Network
34. Harsh Kapoor – South Asia Citizens Web
35. Inder Salim – Activist
36. Indu Prakash Singh- IGSSS
37. John Dayal- General Secretary, All India Christian Council
38. Kallol Bhowmik - Spl Correspondent Ajir Dainik Batori and Eastern Chronicle
39. Kalpana Tikku –
40. Kashif-ul-Hoda - Editor, TwoCircles.net
41. Madhu Chandra - All India Christian Council & North East Support
Centre & Helpline
42. Madhura Chakrvoraty – Student Jadhavpur University, West Bengal
43. Maia Barkaia – JNU student
44. Manas Arora – Student, IP College of Engineering
45. Manisha Sethi – Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association
46. Manisha Trivedi – Anhad Gujarat
47. Manjit Singh Roperia – Student Hissar
48. Mansi Sharma-Anhad
49. Moggallan Bharti – JNU student
50. Mohan Kumawat- Anhad
51. Mohd. Ali - Delhi Correspondent of news website TwoCircles.net
52. Mudassir Kawa, Activist, Srinagar
53. Mukul Manglik – Historian Delhi University
54. Murli Natarajan, South Asia Solidarity Initiative, USA
55. Mushtaq Koka, Activist, Srinagar
56. Naazim Mohammed – Social Activist, Bangalore
57. Nadim Nikhat - Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
58. Navaid Hamid -Social Activist
59. Neha Dhole, Aman Trust, New Delhi
60. Praful Bidwai- Columnist and Writer
61. Prasad Chako- NCDHR
62. Pratap Singh Negi, Anhad
63. Prativa Thomas – Amnesty International, UK
64. Prem Dangwal – Anhad Mumbai
65. Prof Anuradha Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
66. Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
67. Prof. KN Panikkar, Historian
68. Raj Gopalan – Trivandrum, Kerala
69. Ram Puniyani – Ekta, Mumbai
70. Rashid Ali – Freelance Journalist
71. Rima Aranha
72. Rohit Sinha – Student DU
73. Rupal Oza, South Asia Solidarity Initiative
74. Sabir Hussain – Jammu and Kashmir
75. Sachin Pandya – Anhad Gujarat
76. Sania Hashmi – Anhad
77. Sanjay Sharma – Anhad
78. Sanjeev Mahajan, CA, USA
79. Saqib Sana - Mumbai
80. Seema Duhan-Anhad
81. Shabir Hussain – Srinagar, J &K
82. Shabnam Hashmi- social activist, Anhad
83. Shahnawaz Malik – Lucknow
84. Shaweta Anand, Journalist and Researcher
85. Sheeba Aslam Fehmi – Researcher JNU
86. Shesh Narain Singh-Senior Journalist
87. Shoaib Khan – Srinagar, J&K
88. Shrish Chandra – Lucknow University
89. Shweta Tripathi – Programme Officer, SHRUTI
90. Sohaib Niazi – Student, Jamia Milia Islamia
91. Sohail Hashmi-Social Activist
92. Sonam Gupta - Anhad
93. Sonia Jabbar- Independent Filmmaker
94. Tanveer Hussain Khan -Anhad Kashmir Coordinator
95. Thulasi Kakkat – Photographer, Kerela
96. Uma Chakravarty- Academician
97. Vijayan- Delhi Forum
98. Vrinda Grover- Human Rights Lawyer, Supreme Court
99. Waqar Kazi – Anhad Mumbai
100. Wasim Khan, NJ, USA
101. Yasmeen Qureshi, Human Rights Activist, CA, USA
102. Zafar Abbas – journalist, Delhi
103. Zafar Agha, journalist, Delhi
104. Manasi Pingle – Student, DU
--
Thanks & Regards
Sonam Gupta.
--
Thanks & Regards
Sonam Gupta.
--
Thanks & Regards
Sonam Gupta.
--
Thanks & Regards
Sonam Gupta.
Bollywood veteran Rajesh Khanna was at his dramatic best when he received the lifetime achievement trophy at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau from his "Anand" co-star Amitabh Bachchan late on Saturday (June 13) night.
Khanna, who featured in hits like "Aradhana", "Kati Patang" and "Amar Prem" in his four-decade long career, kept referring to Big B as "babumoshai", in the manner in which he addressed Bachchan in their 1971 heartwarming hit "Anand".
It took me 40 years and 180 films to get this IIFA Life time Achievement award-along journey I must say I am very grateful to IIFA, (event organisers) Wizcraft, committee members and babumoshai. Babumoshai, thank you very very much," Khanna said in his acceptance speech.
“It is after 16 years later that we are together on a stage. I thank him from the bottom of my heart," he added.
Khanna, 66, also belted dialogues from his famous films to entertain the audience. And he even appreciated Bachchan's successful journey in his professional life.
Life should be big, not necessarily long, and my babumoshai is living life big - living life king size. (Look) from where to where he has reached in so many years. We started with ’Anand' and today we are on this platform. He is very dear to me, he is my babumoshai," he said.
Khanna received a standing ovation from industry members as well as the audience.
Whatever I am, I am because of you, my audience. My audience members, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian - everyone was responsible to make me an actor to a star to a superstar to what I am today. Thank you all," he said.
www.masala.com/12738-thank-you-babumoshai-rajesh-khanna-t...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajesh Khanna pronunciation (help·info); (born Jatin Khanna on 29 December 1942) is an Indian actor of Hindi films,[1] and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician.
He appeared in 163 films of which 106 had him as the solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects.[2] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the maximum BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) – four times and nominated 25 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Khanna is referred to as the “First Superstar” of Hindi cinema.[3][4][5][6] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performances in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq and Aradhana.
Khanna was born in Amritsar on 29 December 1942. He was adopted and raised by foster parents who were relatives of his biological parents. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon. Khanna attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School in Girgaum, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Their mothers were friends.[7] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a of stage and theater plays in his school[8] and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[9] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[10] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC).[11] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored him. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife call him Kaka.[12]
[edit]Adult life
See also: Dimple Kapadia, Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, Jeetendra, and Simple Kapadia
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[13] They were in the relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the breakup.[14] Later Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in 1973 and has two daughters from the marriage.[15] Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated in 1984 as his schedule kept him away much of the time and Dimple became interested in pursuing an acting career,[16] and thereafter lived separately, but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[17] In the eighties Tina Munim was romantically involved with Khanna till the time she decided to leave the industry to pursue her higher studies.[18] Years of separation brought about mutual understanding between Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.[14] Reporter Dinesh Raheja stated that “the bitterness between Rajesh and Dimple washed away", noting that they are seen together at parties and that Dimple campaigned for Khanna's election and also worked in his film Jai Shiv Shankar.[19] Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[20] while their younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[21] is married to a London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[22]
[edit]Early career (1966–1975)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten thousand contestants.[23] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[24] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.[25] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[26] Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[27] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[28] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq. Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[29] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[30][31] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[32] Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also became the biggest grosser ever till then.Khanna is also credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[33] Javed Akhthar accpeted 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."[34]
Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[35] They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, 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.[36] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna'. 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 filmed at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realized that if the public found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[37] 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.”[38]
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.
The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[39] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Bombay University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[40]
Sharmila Tagore said in interview to India Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). 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 and since.”[41]
Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.
Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 to 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[42] The commercial success of his films declined during 1976–78.In calculation of the 15 films, 2 hero films like Maryada,Andaz and films with box office result as hits were excluded -Mere Jeevan Saathi, Choti Bahu and Shehzada.
Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his idols.Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[27]
[edit]1976–1978
Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in nine films that were not commercially successful. Seven of these were rated highly by critics upon their release and have achieved strong cult status over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[43] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janata Havaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meeraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[44] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[45][46] K. Balachander then remade his film Arangetram in Hindi as Aaina with Mumtaz in the lead and Khanna in a cameo appearance in 1977. This film was also unsuccessful. The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption becoming success.[47] Actor Joy Mukherjee made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[48] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[49] However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social 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,[50] Chhailla Babu,[51] Anurodh and Karm.
[edit]Later career (1979–present)
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[52][53] such as Amardeep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[54] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[55] Naya Kadam,[56] Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[57] Shatru,[58] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar (1986) and Amrit(from 1979–1991). Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[59] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[60] But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the original.[61]
Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar(1986).[62] Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and "Adhikar", both with Khanna.[63] He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[64] He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna delivered multi-starrer superhits like Rajput, Dharam Aur Kanoon,[65] Zamana, Dil-E-Nadan, Ashanti, Awam (film) and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[66] Nishaan and Maqsad.[67] Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his role in the film.[68] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag. Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and seven of these became hits and in addition had two films with him in special appearance.[69] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg as his most favorite directorial venture and said in an interview " Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the sets."[70]
He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu as a rickshaw puller, thriller in Redrose as a psycopath, political adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat and Angarey, suspense in Chakravyuha and Iteefaq, comedy in Hum Dono and Masterji, action in Ashanti, family dramas like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote, variety of social films like Avtaar, Naya Kadam, Akhir Kyun and with different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, patriotism in Prem Kahani, immature young love theme handled in different ways in films like Anokha Rishta, Nazrana and Dil E Nadan and did college romance in Bandish. He has played variety of characters as the lead hero – as a postman in Palkon Ki Chaon Mein, as a lawyer who proves that his senior has committed a rape 25 years earlier in Kudrat, as a politician in Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar, as a young musician forced by fate to marry two women in Asha Jyoti, as professional advocate in Awaaz, fisherman in Prem Bandhan, a revolutionary patriot who is torn apart by love and policeman like in Prem Kahanai, as a righteous farmer in Bandhan etc.
He shared a very close relationship with R.D. Burman[71] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were very close friends and have worked together in more than thirty films.[72] Work of Pancham with Khanna is regarded as legendary and far superior than any other actor-music director combinations.[73] The king of playback singing Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[74][75] In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[76] 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. 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.
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 and A. K. Hangal, who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[77][78] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash and Jeetendra.
Pyarelal quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 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 and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Bewafai. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too.[35]
Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to see Khanna.[79] The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.[80] Shahrukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[81] 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.”[82] Actor Irrfan Khan accepted 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."[83] Rajesh Khanna was the last superstar to set fashion trends.[84] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[85]
From the early nineties onwards he stopped acting and served as M.P. of New Delhi Constituency from 1991 to 1996. During that period, he returned to acting, appearing in Khudai(1994). He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen(1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa(2002). In September 2007, he officially announced his planned return to the big screen, signing a contract for several new films, including some television serials.
[edit]Television
He is a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[86] He is the Guest Faculty of 'Specialized Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies'. On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad as a tribute to Pancham.[87] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro)[88] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[89] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment, and is currently in the process of creating his own music channel "R.K. Music Channel".[90] 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.[91] Khanna cites the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films these days. 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".[92] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[93]
[edit]Political and business career
Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.[94] He has since been a political activist for the Congress Party.
Khanna and a group of foreign investors have bought land in Shirdi on which they plan to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[95]
[edit]Awards, honours and recognitions
Main article: List of Rajesh Khanna's awards, honours and recognitions
[edit]Filmography
[edit]Actor
Main article: Rajesh Khanna filmography
[edit]Producer
YearFilm
1985Alag Alag
1989Police Ke Peeche Police
1990Jai Shiv Shankar
[edit]Co-Producer
YearFilm
1971Mehboob Ki Mehndi
1974Roti
1995Barsaat
[edit]Playback Singer
Baharon Ke Sapne (1967)
Safar (1970)
Raja Rani (1973)
Shehzada (1972)
Amar Prem (1972)
Daag (1973)
Ajnabee
Souten (1983)
Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog, India, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18, India, Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge, India, Johan C. Aurik, Global Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board, A.T. Kearney, USA and Sanjeev Sharma, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, ABB, Indiaat the India Economic Summit 2016 in New Delhi, India, Copyright by World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell