A tribute to Superstar Rajesh Khanna on his 73rd birthday, we would like to share some of his best from his life and career.

• He was Indian cinema’s first superstar – Rajesh Khanna’s charisma remains unmatched to this day. Coined as India’s first superstar, a certain Jatin Khanna from Amritsar in Punjab went on to achieve something that most people can only dream of. Kaka starred in 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period between 1969 and 1971 that got him the title of India’s first ‘original superstar’. Not only that, in the year 1974, BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar. He was regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Hindi cinema. No superstar is complete with his share of super crazy fans and Rajesh Khanna fans too ranged from the aggressive wrist-slitting variety to the thousands of women who secretly had a crush on him.
• Guru kurta – Films and fashion go hand in hand and Rajesh Khanna’s guru kurtas are testimony to that. Collared kurtas with rolled back sleeves have a Rajesh Khanna stamp on them even today. Kaka made his filmy fashion statement spill in real life with people on the streets copying his style and going to their local tailors to get kurtas with pants made, with pictures of Khanna wearing the same. It wasn’t just the guru kurtas with pants but Kaka’s safari suits accessorised with large belts that take him straight to the fashion pages of the yore. A tilt of the head and his signature hand gestures are all you need to complete the look!
• Ultimate romantic hero – To say that Rajesh Khanna is still considered the ultimate romantic hero of his time is not an understatement. In an interview, Rajesh Khanna’s Aradhana co-star Sharmila Tagore revealed how she has never witnessed the frenzy that Rajesh Khanna had. Rumours about women having married his photographs emerged at the time when Khanna was a national craze. He gave his fans some of the best romantic films we have ever seen like Aradhana, Aan Milo Sajna and Amar Prem to name a few. His iconic line ‘Pushpa, I hate tears‘ still resonates in every fan’s mind and remains immortal even years after he left the world himself. Actor Anupam Kher had tweeted post the sad news of Rajesh Khanna’s demise, “Rajesh Khanna gave us a crash course in romance. He introduced us to a special twinkle in the eye that made us feel good about ourselves.”
• His rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan – It may be hard to believe today considering Amitabh Bachchan’s stature and fan frenzy, but Big B’s claim to fame at one point in his career was that he had worked with superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rajesh Khanna, the then superstar, worked with a relatively popular Amitabh Bachchan in Anand way back in 1971 and walked away with all the praise and awards for his performance, once again pushing his stardom higher. Big B and Rajesh Khanna’s rivalry was written about at that time and it was believed that Kaka got insecure over time as Big B became popular. While Rajesh Khanna didn’t accept that a shining star like him could fade away eventually, Big B’s hard-work and ability to bounce back despite failures worked for him.
• His troubled marriage that hit news stands – Dimple Kapadia created ripples at the box office with her debut film Bobby. Her bold avatar got her a lot of attention, even from the various suitors vying for her attention. Dimple dropped a bomb when she got married to superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rajesh was in his thirties while Dimple was just 16. Just a film old, Dimple left stardom to enjoy life with Khanna whom she affectionately called Kaka. However, like most celebrities who fall prey to short-lived marriages, Dimple and Rajesh couldn’t last long as a couple. After having two kids – Twinkle Khanna and Rinkie Khanna – Dimple and Rajesh Khanna filed for divorce in 1984. While the divorce proceedings were never completed, Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna are believed to have reconciled in the last few years before Khanna’s demise. Amongst the many things we remember about Rajesh Khanna, we cannot miss out his whirlwind romance with a 16-year-old beautiful actress Dimple Kapadia and their marriage.
• The many women in his life – Rajesh Khanna had an unmatched female fan following and the same goes true for his personal life as well. Rajesh Khanna’s first love was actress Anju Mahendru. The couple was much in love and according to news reports in Entertainment One India, they were also living together for the seven years they were a couple. After a misunderstanding between them, the couple parted ways. Kaka got a lot of negative publicity during that time as the people from the industry sided with Anju. Soon, Rajesh Khanna set his eyes on the beautiful new entrant in Bollywood – Dimple Kapadia and the two decided to tie the knot. An Entertainment One India report states that Khanna even deliberately diverted his baraat’s route while getting married to Dimple in a way that it passed through Anju Mahendru’s house. Post his split from wife Dimple Kapadia, it is believed that actress Tina Munim, with whom Kaka worked in films like Sautan and Fiffty Fiffty, was his new love interest. According to a news report in Dainik Bhaskar, Tina Munim was a big Rajesh Khanna fan and the two apparently fell head over heels in love after working together. The report further says that they started living in together, but broke up after Rajesh Khanna started making objections on Tina Munim’s freedom. Although, this wasn’t it, post Kaka’s death, news of his live-in partner Anita Advani came to the fore.
• Anita Advani and her tussle with Dimple Kapadia over ‘Aashirwad’ – Post his demise, Rajesh Khanna’s alleged live-in partner Anita Advani sent a legal notice to Kaka’s family members asking for compensation and claimed that she was living in with him in his house. The Bombay high court refused to give Khanna’s property documents to Anita Advani, the alleged live in partner of the late Bollywood actor. Advani’s lawyer had sought copies of probate and proceedings filed by Khanna’s legal heir Twinkle Khanna, who has been named as the executrix in Rajesh Khanna’s will. Anita Advani and her issues with Rajesh Khanna’s family, especially his wife Dimple Kapadia, cropped up once again after she participated in the controversial reality show Bigg Boss 7 last year.
• B-grade films later on in his career – It is sad but true that India’s first superstar saw some of the greatest highs in his career and also faced the shocking lows when he started working in B-grade films. After the tremendous success he saw, Rajesh Khanna faded into oblivion. The superstar refused character roles unlike his contemporaries after age started to catch up. However, Kaka returned to films once again, but this time in not so appealing B-grade films. Check out the film still of his movie Wafa: A Deadly Love Story to know what we mean.

Indian cinema has known no bigger star than Rajesh Khanna. Between 1969 and 1974 he had to his credit a staggering 16 blockbusters, most of them record-breakers. Men women and kids alike were under the Khanna spell. And while the magic lasted all other actors were eclipsed. Then one day, it all evaporated. Just why Rajesh Khanna lost his superstardom is a subject for another day. Here we list the 10 most powerful films of the actor for whom the epithetic ‘superstar’ was coined.

1. Aradhana (1969)

Here is where it all began. Though Khanna had earlier given muted but sensitive performances in Chetan Anand’s Aakhri Khat and Nasir Hussain’s Baharon Ke Sapne, it was Aradhana that turned the actor into the most sensational matinee idol of all times. Yes, the songs also helped. Kishore Kumar’s voice in ‘Mere sapnon ki rani’, ‘Roop tera mastana‘ and ‘Kora kagaz ttha yeh mann mera‘ lent a lure to the charismatic persona. With Aradhana began Khanna’s fabulously fruitful association with Kishore Kumar and director Shanti Samanta. The superstar was directed by Samanta in 8 films, most of them blockbusters.

2. Ittefaq (1969)

It took a devilish amount of daring for the superstar to move away from his lately-acquired image of a romantic star to play a neurotic murder suspect on the run. The entire experimental film, directed by Yash Chopra, unfolded during one stormy night. Incidentally Khanna sported a beard for this role which caused continuity problems with Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste, which he shot simultaneously. Though Do Raaste is one of Khanna’s biggest hits the central role was performed by Balraj Sahni.

3. Kati Patang (1971)

In most of his biggest hits Khanna played variations of Devdas, the long-suffering tragic hero pining for a lost love, who dies at the end. He played a lonely man who drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Never one to shy away from heroine-centric films, Khanna gladly and convincingly took second lead to Asha Parekh. But he had all the R D Burman-Kishore Kumar songs; ‘Yeh jo mohabbat hai’, ‘Yeh Shaam mastani’ and ‘Pyar deewana hota hai’.

4. Anand (1971)

Many, including yours truly, consider Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand to be Khanna’s most memorable film and character. The terminally ill Anand Sehgal’s kinship with the sober and reticent Babu Moshai (Amitabh Bachchan) was modeled on director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s friendship with Raj Kapoor. Anand’s role was first offered to Kapoor, then Kishore Kumar and Shashi Kapoor. In hindsight it’s inconceivable to imagine anyone but Rajesh Khanna as Anand.

5. Sachcha Jhutha (1970)

In 1970, Rajesh Khanna had two blockbusters the suspense thriller The Train and Manmohan Desai’s Sachcha Jhutha, and two highly acclaimed performances in Khamoshi and Safar, both directed by Asit Sen (not the comic actor of the 1950s but the acclaimed director). Khanna in Sachcha Jhutha was a rage singing Meri pyari beheniya banegi dulhaniya to his screen sister Naaz. This was his third double role after Aradhana and the pre-stardom suspense film Raaz.

6. Safar (1970)

A masterpiece on the existential dilemma: how long does one live for life to acquire significance? Yet one more tragic role for Khanna where he dies at the end.This delicately drama was powered by his understated performance and complemented by Sharmila Tagore’s serene presence.

7. Haathi Mere Saathi (1971)

During 1971 Rajesh Khanna featured in a staggering 10 films. Haathi Mere Saathi was complete kitsch about a man’s obsession with his pet elephant at the cost of his marriage. Perhaps the biggest of all the Khanna blockbusters this film endeared the superstar to kids and animal lovers. He teamed up with Tanuja again in Mere Jeevan Saathi with far less success.

8. Amar Prem (1972)

At the peak of his popularity Rajesh Khanna did this blockbuster film. Amar Prem is about a lonely man in a sterile marriage and his platonic relationship with a nurturing prostitute. Khanna and Tagore were simply magic without one intimate moment as man and beloved. And the songs, those immortal Kishore Kumar-R D Burman melodies, such as ‘Chingari koi bhadke’, ‘Yeh kya hua kaise hua’, and ‘Kuch toh log kahenge’ made us swoon. The audience loved everything he did.

9. Aavishkar (1974)

Stripped of all the superstar mannerisms that turned India into a Khanna-obsessed nation, this Basu Bhattacharya directed marital drama saw Khanna and Sharmila Tagore do a Richard Burton and Liz Taylor from Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. The implosive anger was redemptive in its recriminations.

10. Aap Ki Kasam (1974)

One of Rajesh Khanna’s last blockbusters, it featured him with his other favourite co-star Mumtaz (apart from Sharmila Tagore), in a grey role as a suspicious husband whose jealousy ruins the marriage. In hindsight the Kishore Kumar song ‘Zindagi ke safar mein’ seems to be poet Anand Bakshi’s anthem for Rajesh Khanna’s career. If only he hadn’t allowed the stunning success to go to his head.