Super Star Rajesh Khanna - Where love has gone

Where love has gone July 22, 2012 Mumbai Paromita Vohra The two people who passed away last week symbolised the1970s. Mrinal Gore, the “Paniwali bai” and India’s first superstar, Rajesh Khanna. They exemplified two ends of the 1970s — the basic deprivations that touched many classes to some degree, unlike today’s wide gaps, and its mirror image, the lush illusions and grand delusions of Hindi cinema. Notwithstanding his brief but unparalleled rule in that time, the obituaries to Rajesh Khanna were perplexing, declaring the end of an era. I had to ask myself, which era would that be and did it seriously end, like, now? In fact, as my friend R, who was young in the 1970s, snorted in his text message about the many sentimentally ironic ‘zindagi ka safar babumoshai’ Facebook updates said, “Let’s face it, the man we loved died twenty years ago, this was just the shell of his body.” Rajesh Khanna Personally, as someone who grew up in the ’80s, despite watching Haathi Mere Saathi and Aan Milo Sajna on Doordarshan Sundays, Rajesh Khanna passed me by. Although I would occasionally note that famous songs which I knew only from radio or antakshari, were picturised on Rajesh Khanna, he already, seemed to belong to some long ago era — i.e., my parents’ youth. And like everything related to someone else’s youth, the stories of how he married Dimple Kapadia to spite his long-time lover Anju Mahendroo seemed like some mixture of unverifiable claims, misremembered rumour or retrospective glamour. For a man who made the term superstar necessary, Rajesh Khanna left curiously little impression upon the years that followed and hardly features in the catalogue of popular culture products Hindi cinema has spawned. Barring the line “Pushpa, I hate tears” there’s not much presence of Rajesh Khanna in spoofs and animated skits. And I can’t recall notable work on him in the fashionable academic field of Bollywood studies either. If we agree that our movies and movie stars serve today, the same purpose that myths of gods and kings did once, then it’s interesting how Rajesh Khanna’s films were like a looping thumbnail of his life — romantic passion, burning youthful belief in the present, no care for surrounding reality and tradition in the face of love and a human hubris, followed inevitably by death. Exactly how his career was — a flashy hibiscus that flowers just for two days. Watching the images of him replaying now, including the freshly viral BBC documentary on him, I am struck though by how he seems to have been the first movie star made primarily for women, with mannerisms that implied that love was all he cared for; that the woman before him was the only thing that existed at that moment, with eyes that saw only her. This full blooded evocation of the erotic, could hardly have had a very long summer and was of course edged out by the masculine self-absorption and angst of Amitabh Bacchan’s persona, before which women’s main function, as mothers or lovers, was to look at (and of course look after) the man, not be looked at by him. (I know, what a shock). It’s hard to say if the true meaning of Rajesh Khanna was revealed by his presence, or his very marked absence from public consciousness. His fall may have been accelerated by his personality, but it was inevitable, given our society’s particular relationship with power and status. We are much more comfortable deifiying traditionally masculine figures who are at the centre of their worlds, who control things, as opposed to our rather self-doubting, feckless relationship with love and the vulnerabilities and change it stands for. Paromita Vohra is an award-winning Mumbai-based filmmaker, writer and curator working with fiction and non-fiction. Reach her at www.parodevi.com. The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper. http://www.mid-day.com/columnists/2012/jul/220712-Opinion-Paromita-Vohra-Where-love-has-gone-Rajesh-Khanna-passed-away.htm

A Real Story of a conflict between A Super Star Actor- Rajesh Khanna and Cheten Anand a Super Star Director

July 20, 2012, 2:03 am Filed under: Film Musings | Tags: film education, oorvazi irani, sorab irani, film workshop, indian cinema, Cannes film festival, Kudrat, Chetan Anand, Rajesh Khanna, hindi film industry, indian popular cinema, auteur, indian auteur, neecha nagar, Indian film stars, hindi cinema, Directr's cut, Producer's cut A Real Story of a conflict between A Super Star Actor- Rajesh Khanna and Cheten Anand a Super Star Director Musing of a Veteran Producer/ Director – Sorab Irani . So much is said about Rajesh Khanna post his sad demise in all media, I am reminded on this occasion of a interesting real life story which I would like to share. A little known fact is that Chetan Anand’s debut film,Neecha Nagar bagged the Palme d’Ore (Best Film) award, at the first ever Cannes Film Festival in 1946. It was my honor and privilege to have worked and observed and to have learned so much about cinema from this great truly Indian cinematic genius Chetan Anand was the first director to cast Rajaesh Khann is his film ‘Aakhri Khat’. Latter when his career started flagging a bit, Rajesh Khanna thought he needed a great director to make a film with him and he approached Chetan Anand. I was at that time general manager of Chetan Anand’s production company – Himalaya Films. In those days films were produced largely on star-power, and if a project was initiated by a Star it was good news. However Chetan Anand was in financial trouble and in a meeting with Rajesh Khanna confessed to him that he had the right subject but no money. Chetan Anand always had ready stories in his head, he thrived on the creative process that resulted in a film idea and at any given time had a great oeuvre of film stories. In that meeting where I was also present he narrated the story of ‘Kudrat’ to Rajesh Khanna and Rajesh Khanna loved it. In a week’s time Rajesh Khann was back at Chetan sahibs Juhu seafront shack with a producer in tow one B. S. Khanna. It was all settled in that sitting that B. S would finance and produce the film and that Chetan Anand would direct the film and so the film ‘Kudrat’ was born. This is not the story of how ‘Kudrat’ was made, which in itself is fascinating but about the antics of stars and a conflict that developed pre release of the film between Chetan Anand and Rajesh Khanna. The film was very hot, the music was already a super hit. It then transpired that Kakaji arranged for a private screening of the film and decided on a course of action which was unethical for sure but not entirely unheard of in the Bollywood of that time. Encouraged by his chamchas he decided that in order to hog the entire credit of the success of the film he had to reduce the roles of the others like Vinod Khanna, Raj Kumar, he high jacked the editor of the film, and started reediting the film. The editor informed Chetan Anand quietly as his conscious troubled him, he was in great awe of Chetan sahib and had worked together for over a year to shape the film. I got a call from a very distressed Chetan sahib at 6 am in the morning asking me to go to the editor’s house and bring him over to meet Chetan sahib. I was also very amazed that any one dare tamper with the edit of a director like Chetan Anand. By 7.30 am I was at the editors house in Matunga but he was absconding. I went to the shack and Chetan was furious. Kaka would not taking his calls nor was the producer B. S. Khanna, the conspiracy was clearly unfolding. What do we do. I went with Chetan sahib to Navarang Lab, spoke to the owner protesting but the owner claimed helplessness as he had to follow the instructions of the Producer of the project owing to the large sums of money involved. We then decided to file complaints with the Film Editor’s association and with the Film Producers association requesting this be stopped. In the night I started getting threatening calls. Some one called my wife and told her that she would find my dead body by morning. I was out and there were no cell phones at that time, so when I called home my wife was weeping and scared silly. Now I was indeed very angry and being in Juhu at the time went to B. S Khanna’s house to confront him, he was not home but I got him on the phone from there and asked him about all this nonsense about threatening calls to my wife and told him very plainly that I was not one bit intimidated and if it did not stop I would lodge a police complain. Later I spoke to Chetan sahib and he too complained that he had a similar experience of his residence getting threatening calls. The next day the producer B. S Khanna claimed total innocence about all the goings on and said nothing was true, we demanded that we need to be allowed to examine the final cut negative and talk to the editor and informed him that no one had a right to make changes to the final cut of the film. He diplomatically said it was too late, the negative was involved in the process at the lab of making copies of the release prints. Gloom set in at the shack, it seemed that the Rajesh Khanna camp in connivance with the producer B. S Khanna have prevailed. In an unprecedented move Chetan Anand decided to go to the Bombay High Court to stop the release of his own film. The case came up before the astute Parsi judge Justice Lantern. The whole film industry was there. Justice Lantern denied us the relief that we were seeking although sympathizing with our case but saying that huge sums of money would be lost of the third parties namely the distributors if he granted us the ad interim relief and posted the matter for regular hearing. The real point of this story is not to malign anybody but to raise critical questions – who has the right to the final cut of the film, the director or the producer. Who decides what the audiences will see, financiers/producers or the creators the/directors. Added to this perennial existing conflict and tussle enter today the marketing guru’s who with sampling and consensus building marketing methods start confusing matters completely. What happens to an Auteur director if he is not also the producer of the film. Food for thought and meaningful debate. http://oorvazifilmeducation.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/a-real-story-of-a-conflict-between-a-super-star-actor-rajesh-khanna-and-cheten-anand-a-super-star-director/

Rajesh Khanna’s Special Message

Rajesh Khanna’s Special Message July 25, 2012 Rajesh Khanna, the actor who romanced death on screen as often as he did heroines, left behind a special recorded message for his family, friends and fans. 40 years ago, in Anand, his character taped a message for Babu Moshai or Amitabh Bachchan. In real life, the superstar’s message was played at his chautha held over the weekend. English Translation of the message: My dear friends, brothers and sisters, I’m not the one to get nostalgic. I’ve always looked ahead towards the future. Whatever has passed let it stay in the past, thinking about bygones doesn’t help. But, when one suddenly comes across familiar faces in unfamiliar settings, the memories comes rushing back. My journey began with theater, I owe my success to the stage. This theater where it all began when I joined the film industry, I had no God Father, no relatives or family that I could turn too. I came into the movies through the United Producers Filmfare Talent contest. We were called to the Times of India in the presencen of celeberated filmmakers like Chopra saab, Bimal Roy , Shakti Samanta and many others. They asked me we had sent you a dialogue, did you memorise it? I was sitting in front of the table where they were seated and felt I was undergoing a courtmartial. I thought they would take a gun and fire at me. I said, “I know the dialogue but you haven’t told me what’s the characterisation of the person who is to narrate this dialogue. Is he the hero who is announcing to his mother that he plans to marry a dancer and maker her the daughter-in-law of the house? You haven’t told me whether this hero is rich , poor, a villianou character or a pleasant fellow, is he from the middle class?” So, Mr Chopra said, “You are from the stage so make your own characterisation how will you convince the mother.” I said this is not a dialogue for a stage actor to mouth, so he said then you chose your own dialogue. I was nervously sweating and anxious wondering which dialogue should I impress them with. I had seen their movies several times and this is the dialogue I said which took me towards stardom. The dialogue was Yes I am an artist , yes I am artist, why would you want to hear my story, the dialogue which began my story in cinema. Friends, I’m a part of you, and as I said, you have all taken time out for me. This is the love, your presence in numbers that I’m greatful for, thank you, thank you my salaam to you all. http://bargad.org/2012/07/25/rajesh-khanna-special-message/

Zindagi Badi Honi Chahiye, Lambi Nahin…ha, ha, ha

Zindagi Badi Honi Chahiye, Lambi Nahin…ha, ha, ha July 19, 2012 Susmita Dasgupta, a ‘Sociologist of everyday life’ wrote her Doctoral thesis on Amitabh Bachchan. Her blog is here. Susmita Dasgupta The first Hindi film I saw which I also happened to follow and recall was Aradhana. It was in a large group of uncles and aunts and cousins that we went to watch the film in a modest theatre in Behala of Kolkata. I think that Bulimashi got married and she being the youngest of her eight siblings, the large family of my mother’s decided to celebrate the moolah obtained from her husband as the gatekeeping money to the hilt by watching the new release called Aradhana with Sharmila Tagore in it. This was the film that also catapulted Rajesh Khanna to superstardom. The fall out of this film on us children was that my cousins and I could mimic the film, scene by scene and dialogue by dialogue. In such acts of imitation, we would identify with the heroine. Rajesh Khanna was not the principle point of view. But for the world around me, Dola Aunty, my private tutor, Geeta, our young maid servant, Saloni Pandey, my class friend were all ready to swoon by Rajesh Khanna. Dola Aunty bought piles of magazines those carried stories of the star; she would conspire to teach children of those mothers who subscribed to a large number of film magazines. Geeta lived from one Rajesh Khanna film to the other while Saloni Pandey showed an amazing academic talent in referencing enormous material on the star. Soon we were inundated by Rajesh Khanna look alikes; the tailor, the barber, the vegetable vendor started sporting the Rajesh look. Baidyanath, my grandfather’s driver from Chaibasa tried to have a wave of hair over his forehead notwithstanding the “tiki” at the back of his skull. He was the repository of the lyrics of the songs of Rajesh Khanna. Even my young cousins proudly wore “Guru shirts”, shirts more like kurtas and designed after the ones that Rajesh Khanna wore in the film Kati Patang. Frankly, I remained out of all this. Rajesh Khanna invoked femininity. I was not a pursuant of such sentiments. So when Amitabh Bachchan came, I took to him like fish to water. I also revelled that he and not Rajesh Khanna was the superstar. But even as I worked on Amitabh Bachchan, I could never quite get over the fact that it was Rajesh Khanna who brought forth the first ever idea of a superstar. I heard these stories that Geeta collected; she was illiterate and the media not being what it is today, I have no idea where she got her facts from. We made fun of her when she would tell us that women wore sindur on their partings with Rajesh Khanna’s photograph in front of them. Later I read from published sources that these stories were true. Rajesh Khanna was God and Geeta was the devotee; his exploits had a way of reaching her, I don’t quite know how. In one of his interviews Amitabh said that he has seen women take the dust from the tyres of the car that carried Rajesh Khanna and rub that on their heads. Such was the madness that Rajesh Khanna commanded. The more I worked on Amitabh Bachchan, the more uncomfortable I felt about not being able to analyse Rajesh Khanna well. After all, he was India’s first superstar and generated certain madness about him that no one but no one has ever been able to match. Many decades later when I moved in Delhi’s Sarvapriya Vihar, Rajesh Khanna was my neighbour. There was a tiff with him once or twice over parking of cars and hence with much trepidation I used to often peep into his ground floor drawing room to see whether he had retired for the day. He often had curtains drawn open, would change into his night clothes and with his reading glasses on would handle high piles of files using the centre table as his writing desk while he sat on the floor. Those days he was in the Congress Party and had rented the flat in our locality. I was always struck by his single minded focus on the files; such attentiveness I have never witnessed in anyone I knew. This power of concentration struck me with an extraordinary amazement. One day I sent him a note saying that I wanted to see him. In the note I said that I was sorry that I never made efforts to study him while I worked on my doctorate thesis on Amitabh Bachchan and if possible I wished to now start the process of unpacking his magical appeal. He granted me an appointment immediately. As I sat sipping Lopchu tea, Rajesh Khanna was very angry that when I was Amitabh’s house guest in Mumbai, the latter had misled me into believing that Rajesh never wanted to see me. How untrue all this is, he exclaimed. He believed that Amitabh had played really dirty politics with him especially manipulating Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Rajesh Khanna was also angry with Rishi Kapoor, who according to him was even more serpentine in crookedness. Clearly Rajesh Khanna was a person who had resentments. After he had spoken his mind and was more receptive to my presence, I asked him, where does Rajesh Khanna live now? Rajesh Khanna? He repeated; well Rajesh Khanna is a very big star, he told me, a larger than life figure, he overshadows everyone else on screen but I am Jatin Khanna yaar. It was this sentence alone that made me interested in Rajesh Khanna the person ever since. Truly, as Jatin Khanna had said, Rajesh Khanna is a shadow; he lives nowhere. He is actually no one. He never was anything except an illumination. Very recently, Cine Durbaar arranged a memorial service for Shakti Samanta, the director who created the superstar called Rajesh Khanna. In the memorial service the director’s son gave us a snapshot of his father’s life. Shakti Samanta’s father was in the airforce and was martyred in the 1947 war. He came away with his young widowed mother to live among his relatives. In Aradhana, Rajesh Khanna too is an air force pilot who loses his life in a campaign and Sharmila Tagore is widowed pregnant with her dead husband’s child. Aradhana was Shakti Samanta’s story around his mother. The image of the young widow has featured also in Kati Patang and Rajesh Khanna is the angel who comes in to rescue this widow out of her loneliness. I had a distinct feeling that Rajesh Khanna was Shakti Samanta’s search of a lover for his young widowed mother. Rajesh is a saviour who comes in to breathe life and loveliness into women, ignored and isolated. No wonder then Rajesh Khanna is a fantasy for those who are hemmed inside homes, pincered inside spaces defined for them for incarceration into their fixed social roles with predefined expectations. He is an invitation for such souls to fly out, to float out, and to experience the openness of space and the lightness of air. This openness was his appeal; this lightness, his illumination. Rajesh Khanna’s progenitor was Shakti Samanta, but the man who settled him in superstardom was Hrishikesh Mukherjee. In two films namely Anand and Bawarchi, Hrishikesh makes the final articulation of Rajesh Khanna’s spirit; the man who provides pleasure, the man who assures but he himself remains unnoticed and unseen. This is why the huge life giving force of Anand had to be concealed in his imminent death and he had to disappear into oblivion after he settles everything for the chaotic household in Bawarchi. Oblivion was Rajesh Khanna’s final destiny for the light giver cannot be seen; for in order to be seen one has to absorb light. Rajesh Khanna could never have been “around” in the way Amitabh Bachchan is. Principally such continued presence beyond the screen would have been contrary to Rajesh Khanna’s appeal. The time that I met Rajesh Khanna Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas was released. Rajesh told me that he wanted to watch the film. I offered to take him to take him to PVR’s Premier Class. He did not agree. He said that he wanted to whistle wildly at Madhuri Dixit and that was not possible in civilized society. He would not like to stay on in Aashirwaad because while his daughter really looked after him well, he would like to open the verandah door and stand in the rain and that would wet the carpets and cause inconvenience for everyone. He wanted to be just wild, melt into the nature, mingle into the light, and dissolve in the rain. He could not be among people with routine, with lives to lead and schedules to abide by. I suddenly realized that Rajesh Khanna was also the person who created two other superstars, namely S.D.Burman and later R.D Burman and Kishore Kumar. Kishore Kumar wanted to expand; give me more space to move he would say; make me faster, carry me further, lift me higher. S.D would despair at Kishore because the scale had only seven notes. Then all of them found Rajesh Khanna, the body so rhythmic, one that had such lightness of being, such potential of dissolving into emptiness, just like S.D’s rhythms. In the opening song of Aradhana, Rajesh Khanna atop the jeep drives alongside the train singing in Kishore’s voice, Mere Saapnon Ki Raani, with Pancham’s mouth organ keeping the beat and as Rajesh sways almost like the thin breeze against the vast landscape and rolling hills, Kishore’s voice gets the broad movement that he has always looked for. Kishore’s voice leaves his body and embraces the world, moving at the speed of the train. Rajesh carries the voice, impersonates the spirit of the music and together with Kishore Kumar’s voice and S.D’s music weaves together the vastness of the landscape and the pace of the train. One wonders whether S.D.Burman and R.D.Burman or Kishore Kumar could have been what they were had Rajesh Khanna not lived on screen to embody the music. I sometimes feel that Rajesh Khanna was the personification of the song in the Hindi film; that song which is supralingual, comes into play where articulation must be transcended. No wonder it is difficult to talk about him but easy to sway in small pulses to the softer rhythms of music, just like his mannerisms were. We left Sarvapriya Vihar to come away to our present locality. Rajesh Khanna also changed his flat to occupy the one adjacent to the one that had been ours. Our maid Tara continued to work with the new occupants of our flat. Rajesh Khanna would often stroll in the terrace right next to her. We used to be Tara’s confidantes; the last time we met Tara it seemed that Rajesh Khanna was her advisor in matters of daily interest. http://bargad.org/2012/07/19/rajesh-khanna/

Some facts about Super Star Rajesh Khanna which people often fail to realize

Some facts about Rajesh Khanna which people often fail to realize By SHRIKANT NARAYANAN in Mumbai Here are some facts about Rajesh Khanna's films which most of the articles fail to notify, especially his critically acclaimed superhits and award worthy performances but commercially unsuccessful movies of the period 1976-1991. Aaina, Maalik and Raja Rani were good films which unfortunately flopped. Aaina was remade by Balachander of his award winning Tamil hit. Plus Mahachor and Shehzada were huge hits at the box office. Shehzada elevated Surinder Kapoor's production house to A grade level(Anil Kapoor's father).Khanna had 35 Golden Jubilee hits in 1967-1975 period and 35 more Golden Jubilee hits in 1979-1991 period. In 1976-78, he had 7 critically acclaimed films which flopped at the box office(especially Tyaag, Mehbooba, Chakaravyuha, Naukri, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein though flopped have excellent performances by Khanna and were unfortunate flops. Even directors of these films accepted this fact) and had 2 more flops which was panned by critics in 76-78 and the 4 commercial hits of 76-78 were Chhaila Babu, Anurodh,Mahachor and Karm. To say that after Namak Haram, Khanna's career went downhill is rubbish, as Aap Ki Kasam, Roti, Prem Kahani, Prem Nagar all came only after Namak Haram. In 1979, he had Punjabi hit film Til Til Dalekha and Amardeep in Hindi as hits, with which he bounced back. Media does not highlight the solo hit movies of Khanna of 80's properly - Aanchal, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish , Kudrat, Dard ,Dhanwan, Prem Bandhan,Fiffty Fiffty,Ashanti,Souten,Avatar,Agar Tum Na Hote,Awaaz, Angaarey,Naya Kadam, Hum Dono,Akhir Kyun, Babu, Bewafai,Adhikar, Shatru, Anokha Rishta, Nasihat, Amrit, Awaam etc..and multi star hits like Rajput, Maqsad , Zamana, Dharm Aur Qanoon etc....he had 22 silver jubliee hits in 1966-1991 period and 73 Golden jubliee hits in 1966-1991(3 golden jubliee hits in 76-78 period). Khanna remained a favorite with producers throughout his career. Films like Redrose and Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtar though flopped were critically acclaimed and Khanna has performed well even in them. Infact every producer has repeated Khanna in their films atleast 3 times...in his career, at different times with author backed role for Khanna eg- BR Chopra had 3 hits with Khanna (Ittefaq -1969, Karm in 1977, Awam in 1987) same goes the case with D Rama Naidu, Shakti Samanta, Yash Chopra, Narinder Bedi, K. Raghavendra Rao, Narayana Rao Dasari, J.Om Prakash, Mohan Kumar etc...So story of big producers shying away from approaching Khanna is a fiction and Khanna has minimum of 4 films releasing every year from 1970-1991. Another highlight of Khanna's career was" his record in 1985 - 8 superhits off the 11 released as the lead hero" and in year 1985 he also made special appearance in Aar Par(a flop) and had unreleased film Bayen Hath Ka Khel, which had its musical release in 1985. Also his 15 consecutive solo superhits was in period 1969-1971 - and the name of 15 films are Aradhana, Doli, Bandhan,Ittefaq ,Do Raaste , Khamoshi, Safar,The Train ,Kati Patang,Sachaa Jhutha ,Aan Milo Sajna , Mehboob Ki Mehendi,Dushmun ,Anand ,Haathi Mere Saathi. The 2 hero films like Andaz,Maryada were blockbusters too but not included in 15 consecutive solo superhits and same goes with Choti Bahu, Shehzada and Mere Jeevan Saathi which were given tag of superhits but were released in 1972 after special appearance made by Khanna in Badnaam Farishte had flopped so not inlcuded in calculation of 15 solo superhits. Khanna was awarded Filmfare Special award in 1991 for having starred in 101 films as the solo lead hero and just 21 two hero films in short span of 25 years.By 2011, he now holds record for actor with most number of author backed lead hero films - 106 solo hero films and only 22 two hero films . Khanna has done 163 feature films and 17 short films (so his total film tally comes to 180 in 40 years as told by Khanna in IIFA awards) Published by :

http://www.thejetnewspaper.com/subpages.php?ID=1049#.T_kG7JFX29t

Prabhu Deva meets Super Star Rajesh Khanna

By Moviebuzz Source : SIFY Last Updated: Fri, Mar 23, 2012 10:58 hrs Prabhu Deva is man for all seasons. He is busy doing the post-production work of Rowdy Rathore in the day time, shooting for Remo’s Anybody Can Dance (ABCD) during nights and practising for the live IPL show. Remember Prabhu is to perform live at Indian premier League 2012 grand opening ceremony on April 3 along with Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Katy Perry in Chennai. In between all this, Prabhu was invited over by Rajesh Khanna the first superstar of Indian cinema to his landmark Aashirwad,the famous sea facing bungalow in Carter Road in Bandra for tea. Speaking exclusively to sify.com, Prabhu Deva said: “ It was a dream come true for me as I have watched almost all his films and my dad is a great fan of Khanna Saab. He was so kind and down-to-earth as he served tea for me and we chatted up at length about his link with south and how songs were picturised during those days” Prabhu says that it was one of his AD’s Harsh who initiated this meeting as he is the son of Khanna saab’s best friend. He also added about how the legend reminiscences about his good old days when he had a permanent room at Chola Sheraton in the then Madras where he used to stay continuously for weeks. The superstar used to walk down to nearby New Woodlands to have steaming Idli’s and south Indian coffee. Ads By Google Rajesh Khanna says during those days, south industry was punctual and disciplined. Remember the elusive superstar hit movies include popular MGR super hits made into Hindi like Haathi Mere Saathi and Apna Desh. He also talked fondly of ‘good friends’ Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan whose Sivappu Rojakkal which was remade by him as Red Rose in Hindi. Published by : http://www.sify.com/movies/prabhu-deva-meets-rajesh-khanna-news-tamil-mdxkWBajbda.html#fullstory-article-comments-wrapper

Aradhana (1969)

Aradhana [1969] Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu, sang Rajesh Khanna to Sharmila Tagore, even as his friend, Sujit Kumar, doubled up as a driver and a mouth organ player -- keeping pace with the toy train, on one hand while adding music to Khanna's love song on the other. Thus began Aradhana, director Shakti Samanta's take of the Oscar-winning classic To Each His Own [1946]. The idyllic hilly terrain of Darjeeling provided a perfect beginning for this story of love, passion and penance. The train had been used earlier in Nasir Hussain's Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961). Aradhana shot Khanna to super stardom and also began his successful onscreen pairing with Tagore -- the duo went on to star in films like Safar, Amar Prem and Daag. D Tour: The film won Sharmila Tagore her first and only Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 1947, Olivia de Havilland had won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the same role in To Each His Own. However, unlike Tagore, Havilland won another Best Actress Oscar (The Heiress in 1950). Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award for the sensuous ditty Roop Tera Mastana. Published by : http://www.fropki.com/dial-for-darjeeling-vt29797.html#p296086

200th Post: Monday Meme: Deepika, Kakaji, Amjad Khan and Big B

200th Post: Monday Meme: Deepika, Kakaji, Amjad Khan and Big B by Sujoy on September 5, 2010 in Bolly Good Morning Monday.

Let’s kick your blue face in the face. And let’s start by spreading some Bollywood awesomeness. And how? Well, I know that the count of posts on this blog has been seeing a decline in its frequency. That’s because I have been busy doing a lot of side projects. And that’s primarily because, well, I am so bloody impatient. But anyway, before I get sidetracked again, let’s put down a few points. 1. This is the 200th post of OneKnightStands. So hurray to me, and to you, my lovely readers – to have had the endurance shakti to withstand the forces of awesomeness for so long. Jeeta reh! 2. I have been populating the blogosphere with a new Bollywood based tumblr blog called: Bollypop.in Now, this tumblr is still in a experimental phase, trying to get more traffic, and more and more people to read and appreciate it. It is mostly some random pictures and memes that I have created with the help of my stupid brain. Some of my favourite examples - Deepika Padukone Meme Amjad Khan Meme Bollywood Meme Rajesh Khanna Meme So, head over to Bollypop.in now and enjoy more of this madness. 3. Finally, I will be posting more of my regular stuff on OKS – such as insulting movie reviews for movies which waste 90 plus minutes of my life, awesome music playlists, my round up of Indian TV shows ( which I follow). Also if this tumblr thing doesn’t work out, I might think of shifting it to WordPress altogether. Yeah, but I’ll probably keep calm for a month and see how this all shapes up. Wish me luck! Thoughts, suggestions, fan mails – I love em all. So send ‘em to me in the comments section below. Cheerio!

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D’s ‘The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna’

D’s ‘The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna’ thanks to Suhan for producing this piece here.. Suhan’s prefatory note In the context of the issue of ‘era’, in the 1970s, a course in the Bombay University curriculum, ‘Communication Skills in English’ which included topics of contemporary interest, had a column from the September-October 1971 issue of the quarterly journal “Quest,” signed by “D” and titled “The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna”. D’s column on Rajesh Khanna was included in “The Best of Quest”, a collection of some of the most striking essays, poems and stories to have appeared in the pages of the magazine, edited by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala and Arshia Sattar that was recently published by Tranquebar Press. About “D”, the book’s Foreword notes: “D. was witty, acerbic, irreverent, bright…insightful. He wrote about movies and art and books and life. It was no surprise, actually when Dilip (Chitre) confessed to being D…Dilip passed away during the time it took to put this book together…Thanks to this volume, his column lives on…”. THE PIECE “It is rumoured that his disarming smile costs Rs. 1.4 million. Young women devour him with hungry eyes in the afternoon darkness of cinema halls. Mothers witness his filmic deaths with helpless pangs of frustrated protectiveness. Young adult males project themselves into his limelit presence on the screen and later yearn to recreate themselves in his image. Millions of Indians queue up for long hours to see him break into his smile, get drunk, become furious, whisper love-words or burst forth into a husky, vibrant played-back song. If there is one person in India today who surpasses the Prime Minister’s charisma, he is Rajesh Khanna. The multimillion rupee Hindi film industry which prolifically produces stereotyped dreams unanimously regards him as the only authentic super-star it has so far produced. He is what makes a sure-fire box-office hit. Even films with all the essential ingredients for making a sure flop have run for weeks just because he starred in them. His success is so phenomenal that it challenges anyone who pretends to understand mass behaviour. He is of medium height and build. He has mannerisms of his own which show through whatever character he plays—or perhaps that is unfair to him. His producers and directors want him to play no other character but his own unique self. He has a rare plasticity: that which makes a natural actor, something which James Dean had impressed upon movie-addicts during his meteoric Hollywood career. For he gives the sense that he lives his assumed role, however crudely it is scripted and directed. Yet he will not get an Elia Kazan or a George Stevens to direct him. And his hurt-youth image, which is a factor in his success, will gradually age. The best script and director he got so far was in the film Anand, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee who is one of the better directors in the world of commercial Hindi cinema. His worst role was the one in Haathi Mere Saathi in which he plays a sort of elephant-boy and in which one of the three corners of the conventional love triangle is occupied, of all animals, by elephants. Curiously, Rajesh Khanna is considered a hero worth killing—which is amazing since in Hindi films it is a taboo to kill the hero. Curiously too, he has to die of cancer. He died of cancer in Safar and again in Anand. In Safar he is the leukaemic lover of a would-be doctor. In Anand, he is a cancer patient who spends his limited spell of life to make people around him happy. In Andaz he dies in a motor-bike accident for a change. Is it, one wonders, the expression of a mass death-wish? Some fifteen years ago, Dilip Kumar, the matinee idol then, specialized in dying as a hero. However, Dilip Kumar’s screen deaths brought no shock to the audience since he moved and spoke, from the start, as if he were his own pall-bearer. Rajesh’s screen deaths have some novelty: he is a warm, ebullient, vivacious, blithe young man. Even if he is destined to die, it seems unfair and too early. One has seen teenage girls sob witnessing him die. Or heaving unmistakably erotic sighs when he sings a love song (with the inimitable Kishore Kumar play-back singing for him). For the first time in the history of commercial Hindi cinema a single person has acquired such a following. What has Rajesh Khanna got that others haven’t? He does have acting talent. But there are others who are much better. He is good-looking. But that is neither here nor there. He is certainly not very handsome. What is it then?” One hypothesis about his charisma is that Rajesh Khanna has all the quintessential characteristics of the sort of romantic hero contemporary Indian masses would like to dote on. Here, even within the hackneyed formulae of the commercial Hindi cinema, the new generation audiences had been looking for some positive new content. In the fifties, the triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand dominated the scene. The first was a tragic hero who was the product of middle-class pessimism and sentimentality. The second was a comic actor appealing to the masses through his mask of a little fellow. The third one was a slick, urban westernised Indian. All three box-office draws. The sixties saw the emergence of Guru Dutt who added new values to the Saigal-Dilip Kumar image of a tragic hero by investing greater sensitivity into his existing joint-stock image. The handsome buffoon image which Dev Anand was a pioneer, was extended in the form of Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukerji and a number of others who danced and leaped energetically singing duets with their assorted heroines. Then came Dharmendra, who looks like a capable middle-aged elder son and also Shashi Kapoor, the shy boy-lover of aggressively inclined heroines. In the meantime, despite his blank face, Rajendra Kumar emerged as a substitute Dilip Kumar being to the elder hero what saccharine is to sugar. Sunil Dutt tried to introduce a little different hero-concept, but had only limited success. Trials continued. Errors went on being committed. And then came Rajesh Khanna like a deluge. Rajesh is close to the teenager because he shares some of their norms of group behaviour and mannerisms. His actions have a suggestion of a devil-may-care anarchistic element. However, as in Do Raaste, he can even play successfully the younger brother in a Hindu joint family rising to rescue it at a time of crisis. He also has a very infectious warmth and a very charming smile. What is interesting about Rajesh is that unlike other leading male actors he seldom shows off his histrionic talent by exaggeration. His acting is always an understatement of emotion. This is something he shares with the younger mass audience in India. They don’t dig melodramatic acting any more (which is the reason why Sharmila Tagore and Tanuja, for instance, are liked by them according to a recent survey: and of course, Waheda Rehman whom the late Guru Dutt introduced). Next time you see Rajesh Khanna on the screen, therefore, please note that his behaviour on celluloid is going to lay down a norm for most of the male teenagers around you and a number of people even up to their middle thirties. He is the sort of boy with whom four out of five urban female college students would be thrilled to elope. In short, he is one of the top-selling consumer products in India today. And the packaging, here too, is the product.” 

http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/ds-the-charisma-of-rajesh-khanna/



  Part 1 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/30061153@N07/6336622141/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Part 2 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/30061153@N07/6337378398/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Published by :

Mumtaz

......Her rivalry with Sharmila was the most talked about… “The difference between us was that Sharmila gave flops with Rajesh Khanna while I gave none! I was always secure with Rajesh Khanna. Nobody could replace me. Though Sharmila did give a couple of hits with him, it didn’t really bother me. No actress, not even Sharmila could threaten me. When I gave up films, Rajesh and I were the top most pair. He felt very lost when I quit films ” What was her association with the superstar like? “Just because you do a lot of films together and vibe well, that doesn’t mean you are having an affair,” exclaims Mumtaz. “I am sure Juhi and Shah Rukh have nothing to do with each other but there are rumours of an involve­ment, which I don’t think are true. Similarly, my friend­ship with Rajesh Khanna was also misunderstood. He was my neighbour and we got along very well. I would pull his leg and tease him about his female 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,” laughs Mumtaz. Isn’t that a modest statement considering she was no less of a superstar at the time? “I was not a patch on Rajesh Khanna. He was a phe­nomenon and I was like his chamchi,” giggles Mumtaz. “I teased him a lot and he always called me ‘moti’, as I was generally on the plump side. I attended his wedding too. After their marriage, Dimple accompanied him to Kash­mir where we were shooting for Roti. Exactly a year after his marriage, I got married. At that time, I was doing Aap Ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani. I completed these films and then got married. I didn’t leave any of my pro­ducers in the lurch.”......

Published by : http://cineplot.com/mumtaz-interview/

Tom Alter talks to reader Kruti Dalal about his journey as an artiste

“That film reminded me of my own personal journey. It’s very close to my heart. But unfortunately, it got lost among all these big budget movies,” he shrugged. Alter has another film on Banaras in the offing. “I am a total movie buff. In fact, I took up acting because I was so enamoured my Rajesh Khanna. I still am a big fan of his… For me, no film in Hindi cinema comes close to Anand,” said the Film and Television Institute of India graduate. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=82&contentid=20111016201110160235101618fa8

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theBollywoodFan: Haathi Mere Saathi and the World of Love

theBollywoodFan: Haathi Mere Saathi and the World of Love: Pyaar Ki Duniya (World of Love) was the name of a zoo that changed the lives of the protagonists of a film in which elephants Damu, Ramu, Ma...

R.D.BURMAN The BOSS: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in...

R.D.BURMAN The BOSS: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in...: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in Aajkaal Ravibaasar on 25th March,1990 translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay MY  NIGHT-COMPA...

Sridevi: Masterji (1985)

Sridevi: Masterji (1985): Sridevi with Rajesh Khanna in Masterji (1985). Even in the 80s glister and glitter fest, Sridevi looks stunning. Rajesh Khanna... er......

On the wane - Super Star Rajesh Khanna

Instead of taking a bow while the going's good, Khanna preferred to embarrass himself in titillating fare like Masterji or obnoxious horror like Woh Phir Aayegi. Eventually relegated to supporting roles in David Dhawan's Swarg and Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut, Aa Ab Laut Chalein, Khanna preferred to dabble with politics. The star made an indifferent presence as Member of Parliament from the New Delhi constituency (1991-96). His stint for television with Aapne Parai and Ittefaq, too, didn't find any takers. Image: A poster of Swarg Published by:

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

Sizzling pair - Tina Munium & Super Star Rajesh Khanna

The jaded star now appeared silly doing the same antics he was once hailed for around pretty young things like Poonam Dhillon, Tina Munim and Padmini Kolhapure. Though down and out, Khanna hadn't quite lost his winning touch. It might be recalled his off-screen liaison with Munim was a hot subject for gossip-friendly glossies. Finally, the early 1980s provided some relief with runaway hits like Souten, Agar Tum Na Hote and a hard-hitting turn in and as Avataar. Image: A scene from Alag Alag Published by:

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

The decline - Super Star Rajesh Khanna

Unlike today's stars who make an extra effort to stay in perfect shape, Khanna indulged himself and piled on oodles of weight. A plump romantic hero doesn't sound good, does it? Not to mention his much-talked about marriage and break up to/with Dimple Kapadia with whom he has two daughters -- Twinkle and Rinkie. Known to be famously moody and eccentric off-screen, Khanna's puffed up ego, courtesy a never-ending shadow of sycophants, had a hard time enduring the blows after biggies like Mehbooba and Aashiq Hoon Bahaaron Ka fizzled at the box-office. Image: A scene from Mehbooba

Published by: http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

Awesome twosome - Amitabh Bachchan & Super Star Rajesh Khanna

In Bollywood, everything's transient. Even superstardom. Enter Amitabh Bachchan's rising popularity as the 'angry young man' on the prowl changed the dynamics of filmmaking. Viewers related to Big B's fury much more than Khanna's flirtatious overtures. Babumoshai, as Khanna had affectionately nick-named him in Anand was not just another competition as everyone later discovered. The two heavy-weights worked again on Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Namak Haraam. The critically-lauded drama fetched AB a Filmfare trophy for Best Supporting Actor while Khanna went back to romancing Mumtaz and Hema Malini in musical money-spinners like Aap Ki Kasam and Prem Nagar. Image: A scene from Anand Published by :

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

The golden phase - Super Star Rajesh Khanna

A seemingly-invincible Kaka, as he was fondly addressed by the industrywallahs, reciprocated with terrific hits like Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna, Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Haathi Mere Saathi, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Kati Patang, Daag and Dushman. The late 1960s and early 1970s was a golden phase of Khanna's career marking some of his definitive performances proving there's more to him than a romantic hero. Be it as a dying patient's undying zest for life in Anand, a philosophical yet sympathetic do-gooder in Amar Prem, a melancholic painter diagnosed with a fatal disease in Safar or a furious killer on the run in Ittefaq. Though he enjoyed a solid position and a narcissistic image as a leading man, Khanna was happy to play the ethical, supporting pillar in quite a few woman-oriented movies like Khamoshi, Kati Patang, Daag: A Poem of Love, Amar Prem and Aaina. Image: A scene from Kati Patang Published by :

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

Favourite heartthrob - Super Star Rajesh Khanna

Around the same time, he was signed up to play a double role in Shakti Samanta's Aradhana opposite the dainty Sharmila Tagore. Despite its heroine-centric theme, Khanna hold his own effortlessly with suave and charming persona essaying both father and son. The film's golden-jubilee success, followed by another super-hit with Mumtaz, Do Raaste, ensured the actor was here for the long haul. Such was the impact of his characteristic head-shake, playful gestures and undeniable charisma that fans were willing to go any extent to catch a glimpse of their favourite heartthrob. Especially those of the fairer sex, from writing letters in blood to smothering his four-wheeler with kisses to screaming his name in passion to marrying his photograph, you name it, they did it.

He came. He saw. He conquered.- Super Star Rajesh Khanna

He came. He saw. He conquered. He fell. And how. Rajesh Khanna's rise and fall of fortunes is stuff sigh-inspiring stories are made of. From evoking mass-hysteria, the once upon a time superstar is slipping into an invisible existence only to re-surface in projects that degrade him and everything he stood for. There are rumours that the actor will be a wild card entry into Bigg Boss, a television reality show known for its many controversies. But Rajesh Khanna was quite a story. Like most strugglers with big dreams, Rajesh, born Jatin, Khanna, strived to be a force to reckon with in Hindi cinema. Only this adopted son of a rather affluent family preferred to drive in his own car while approaching filmmakers for work. Winning a talent show came in handy and he bagged Chetan Anand's Aakhri Khat followed by films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Khamoshi and Aurat. But lady luck wasn't in a generous mood. Not just yet. Image: Rajesh Khanna poses with his Lifetime Achievement award at the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau, China Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters Published by:

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268449/

Aarav will be next Superstar : Rajesh Khanna

They say that if there was ever a superstar in the Indian Film Industry, it had to be Rajesh Khanna. There may be romantic leading men and icons in Bollywood but there is and will be only one superstar for his ability to take cinematic love to legendary heights. Why couldn't anybody replace him? Why since four long decades 'Kakaji's' superstar status is still not passed on? Because he had the biggest and the maddest fan following, especially his female fans. They would write love letters to him soaked in blood. They would kiss his car and faint. They wouldn't marry anybody in their life for they dedicated their life to Rajesh Khanna. His fashion and style statement was evident in all the colleges across India. Such was the impact of a man who, with the rigorous use of his voice to communicate a character's lines like 'Pushpa...I hate tears' and 'Babumushai...zindagi jo hain woh badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi' express emotions, which he achieved through attention to diction and commitment to his character. Devansh Patel met the real and the reel superstar who, with his trademark smile and pose, delivered those famous lines from his film Anand and in the ten minutes which we were given, spoke in length about his IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award, how the word 'Kakaji' was born, his superstar status, his film Anand which inspired the country, his first love and first super hit Aradhana, his one liner to describe Kishore Kumar and Bollywood's next superstar, his grandson Aarav. Congratulations on your Lifetime Achievement Award you've received at this years IIFA Macau. Thank you so much. But this is not my first Lifetime Achievement Award. I've already got a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement when the black lady turned into gold. Then I was presented one during the Stardust Awards too. IIFA is a different feeling all together. IIFA is a very prestigious award and is no less than an Oscar. IIFA is a heritage of participating to highlight the culture of India to the various countries of the world. This is also the first time I'm attending all the three days of the IIFA Weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. The entire world knows you as 'Kakaji'. Please tell us how the word 'Kaka' became so synonymous with Rajesh Khanna? That's interesting. 'Kaka' in Punjabi means a small little baby. When I came into films, I was called 'Kaka' because I was young and small and with a bit of respect they added 'Ji'. That's how the world famous 'Kakaji' was born. Indian Film Industry's first ever superstar. Women kissing your car, women writing love letters to you in blood, your style of dressing and talking. Everything you did was tagged as superstar. No matter who they are. Whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or any other community, I will always be grateful to my audience. In the corner of their heart, all of them have given me a small little space, stored and bestowed me with their love and affection. I would also like to thank my co-stars who've made me become an actor, then a star and then a superstar. Being a superstar isn't an individual achievement but it's the almighty above there who thinks he likes me. All departments of our film industry made me an actor to a star to a superstar. When people are on the verge of a near collapse and some who don't have much time to spend with their loved ones, all advice to watch Rajesh Khanna's Anand. How did you come to know this? You're right. Even today, people advice to watch Anand simply because it was a path breaking film which had a path breaking dialogue, "Hum toh is rang manch ki katputliya hain aur hum sab ki dor upar wale ke haath mein hain. Kaun kya kab yeh koi nahin jaanta. Isliye babumushai...hey babumushai, zindagi jo hain woh badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin honi chahiye. Itna pyaar zyaada accha nahin hain". People cried a lot during this final scene of the film because somewhere it touched their sentiments. Anand also gave them an inspiration and a reason to live. Let's talk about your first big super hit Aradhana. Aradhana was the first stepping stone towards my success. After that film, I never had to look back. For that, my tribute goes to my favourite Late Mr. Shakti Samant. I've worked with him in lots of films. He gave me lot of encouragement, lot of affection and never made me feel that Aradhana was my first super hit. Not many know but I was working with yet another superstar heroine Sharmila Tagore in Aradhana. At that time she was more famous than I was and did not give me the complex that I was a newcomer. She is one of the most beautiful and sophisticated ladies I've ever seen. Aradhana will always be my first love. They say that you were the one who gave Kishore Kumar his second innings with Aradhana. I will just sum this up in one sentence. I told Shakti Samant that Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body. How is the relationship you share with your son-in-law Akshay Kumar? Can you recall those moments of sweet gestures between you two, the fatherly advice, etc? I told Akshay that he works in nice films. My advice to him was that he should dance, he should entertain, he should do good action but overall I did tell him to work in films that have a purpose and stop working in films like the Khiladi series. Other than that, Akshay is doing a fine job. You proud of your family tree? Of course yes. I am very proud of this family because of the family tree. It's coming down from Rajesh Khanna to Dimple Kapadia. From Dimple to Twinkle Khanna to Rinke, it moves to my son-in-law Akshay Kumar and to my grandson Aarav. I'm, saying this in public today that after Rajesh Khanna the superstar, the next in line will be Aarav, and I'm not saying this because he is the son of Akshay Kumar but because he will carry the talent, the dedication and the sacrifice which everyone of us has carried in our family. Aarav will be Indian Film Industry's next super star. Published by : http://fungool.blogspot.in/2009/06/aarav-will-be-next-superstar-rajesh.html

Riteish Deshmukh with Rajesh Khanna

Riteish Deshmukh launches Legends Walk Upala KBR, TNN Dec 17, 2011, 12.00AM IST Tags: (

) The actor is readying a boulevard in Bandra that will be similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with star handprints embedded into the sidewalk Riteish Deshmukh has grand plans. The actor is has launched a project called the Legends Walk, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame (where over 2,400 celebrities have been given "stars" which have been embedded into the sidewalk), Grauman's Chinese Theatre (in front of which over 200 stars have left their hand and foot impressions) and Leicester Square in London (which is also surrounded by floor-mounted plaques with star names and handprints). While these cultural monuments have served as inspiration, Riteish promises that his project will be different. Published in : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-17/news-interviews/30525385_1_shashi-kapoor-riteish-deshmukh-salim-khan

CINEMA ‘Walk of the Stars' Super Star Rajesh Khanna

When the stars descend HARSHIKAA UDASI

now goes to London and Dubai UTV Stars' much-awaited project now gears up for an international debut. UTV Stars, the Bollywood entertainment channel, which had announced late last year the launch of Bollywood Walk of Fame in Mumbai, akin to Hollywood's prestigious Walk of Fame, has finally fixed a March launch of its project. The channel's business head Nikhil Gandhi and his team have been collecting on an average four handprints everyday from top Bollywood stars to ensure a full house. Encouraged by the response to the concept (now officially named Walk of the Stars), UTV Stars now plans to launch a similar ‘walk' in Delhi, and also in London and Dubai. “When we first announced the project, we were encouraged by the excitement it generated within the industry. We also received feedback on how it can be enhanced. Meanwhile, we realised that there is a sizeable NRI population that should also be catered to,” says Nikhil. That propelled the channel to look beyond Bandstand at Bandra in Mumbai. “There is a lot of work to be done. We have to take note of the weather conditions in each of the cities we propose to go to. We have to customise our handprints and decide whether to make them in metal or marble,” he adds. For the international locations, UTV Stars is looking at local tie-ups. ‘Walk of the Stars' will also include life-size brass statues of six Bollywood legends — Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. “We wanted a special section dedicated to the legends. It will make for a grand display,” says Nikhil. While handprints of actors such as Sharmila Tagore, Meena Kumari, Shammi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Sridevi, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor have been confirmed, UTV Stars is looking at including Southern superstars in the project. “We are in talks with Rajnikanth, Mohanlal and Venkatesh for the same,” says Nikhil. Published by :

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/radio-and-tv/article2879437.ece

Super Star Rajesh Khanna

NEVER BEEN A WHINER * India * Feb 08, 2012

Yesteryear superstar Rajesh Khanna on the mantra that has kept him going LIPIKA VARMA There was a time when seven theatres out of ten would run his films and all went house full. Then came a time, when actor Rajesh Khanna was seen playing the sacrificing father, big brother or the dogooder at large and yet fans would jump every time Indias first superstar would move his finger to deliver a dialogue. Then came the 90s and the star disappeared into oblivion as the new generation took charge. His last public stint was as an MP, which was not successful. But tell all this to the grandfather and the actor flashes his heart winning smile and says, " I have never been a whiner or a grumbler. I don't have any qualms about my experience in politics. I do agree that I made some mistakes. But then to err is human. I may have been tagged as the 'super star', but in reality I am an ordinary man, who had his moments of strength and weakness too." Looking in pink of health, the actor also admits of turning a teetotaler for the first time in his life and credits wife Dimple Kapadia for the same. " With Dimple back in my life, I am living a good family life again. This is the best phase of my family life I can say, and I am enjoying every minute of it," says the actor who was recently conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award. But talk about films and filmmakers and the screen legend turns nostalgic. " I have lived life like a king. I did some really good films and was loved immensely by my fans. Thanks to them, I have had the best run as a star," says the 'Anand'hero who turns a bit pensive while talking about his notso- good comeback as a character artiste. The move, says the star, " wasn't something, I as a hero was prepared for. But then filmmakers of my time had stopped making films, so there was little choice. But thanks to the new generation I did play some really good roles, which suited my age." However, in spite his blink and miss comeback, Rajesh Khanna follows the industry with a hawk eye. And appreciates the changes that the film industry has seen in the recent. " Technique wise and finance wise, films today are way bigger than those of our time. Plus with multiplexes coming up everywhere, films have become truly an enhanced experience. The film industry is clearly moving towards a bright future," says the star, whose smile would set a thousand hearts beating. But prod him on a possible third appearance onscreen and the actor looks at you intently, smiles and says, " My grandson is my priority. He is very close to me. His antics give me immense joy." Clearly, the man has lived his season on screen and how! Source : http://www.freepressjournal.in/news/46936-never-been-a-whiner.html

Onscreen chemistry of Super Star Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz

They were one of the hottest on screen couples in the Hindi cinema industry. And when Mumtaz married immediately (almost in a hurry) after Rajesh Khanna's wedding to Dimple Kapadia, people started speculating about a more serious bond between the on-screen couple. However, neither Khanna nor Mumtaz ever hinted at a romantic liaison. Captured by ace lensman Jagdish Aurangabadkar on the sets of their 1969 film Bandhan, this picture shows the two actors in an intimate sequence from the film. The film Bandhan was the second consecutive film starring Khanna and Mumtaz. After their first film together Do Raaste, filmmakers trying to capitalize on their successful on-screen chemistry, signed both Khanna and Mumtaz in their ventures. And the jodi never failed to work. The film Bandhan, thanks to Narendra Bedi's direction, Kalyanji Anandji's hit music and the onscreen chemistry of Khanna and Mumtaz, went on to gross a formidable Onscreen chemistry of Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz

Kaka should sue the idiot journalist who defamed his photo of kaka with amisha. utter garbage and filthy imagination. Just o drive traffic to the webs

Veteran Rajesh Khanna has been accused of having a roving eye in the past. And this picture, taken at a recent event, isn’t good news for the yesteryear star’s degenerating image
There was a time when Babu moshai (Rajesh Khanna) would croon a Ye shyam mastani or a Zindagi ek safar and all the girls would go weak in their knees. Things have changed over the years and the yesteryear star is sinking into oblivion with every passing day. We get to see him only occasionally when makes an appearance or two in award functions and events.
We recently spotted him at the Apsara Awards staring at Ameesha Patel from the corner of his eye. Though we won’t deny that Ms Patel is looking superhot and anybody would slip in a matter of seconds (irrespective the age), we think the Anand actor should have at least tried to make it a little less obvious. We must say that even the thought of an old man staring at someone his daughter’s age makes us feel nauseated. We wonder if Ameesha even realised that Kaka was ogling at her! But we suggest that instead of getting himself into embarrassing situations like these Kaka should keep himself busy with activities like gardening, reading or playing with his grandchildren. If nothing, that could at least help him improve his image!


Sources :

http://www.centralchronicle.com/is-rajesh-khanna-ogling-at-ameesha-patel.html
http://movies.ndtv.com/PhotoDetail.aspx?Page=27&ID=12204#talk
http://www.topix.com/forum/who/rajesh-khanna/TQ52MKNB2C3BD8V3L

An extract from ‘The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna’, a column from the pages of ‘Quest’, September-October 1971

It is rumoured that his disarming smile costs Rs. 1.4 million. Young women devour him with hungry eyes in the afternoon darkness of cinema halls. Mothers witness his filmic deaths with helpless pangs of frustrated protectiveness. Young adult males project themselves into his limelit presence on the screen and later yearn to recreate themselves in his image. Millions of Indians queue up for long hours to see him break into his smile, get drunk, become furious, whisper love-words or burst forth into a husky, vibrant played-back song. If there is one person in India today who surpasses the Prime Minister’s charisma, he is Rajesh Khanna. The multimillion rupee Hindi film industry which prolifically produces stereotyped dreams unanimously regards him as the only authentic super-star it has so far produced. He is what makes a sure-fire box-office hit. Even films with all the essential ingredients for making a sure flop have run for weeks just because he starred in them. His success is so phenomenal that it challenges anyone who pretends to understand mass behaviour.



He is of medium height and build. He has mannerisms of his own which show through whatever character he plays—or perhaps that is unfair to him. His producers and directors want him to play no other character but his own unique self. He has a rare plasticity: that which makes a natural actor, something which James Dean had impressed upon movie-addicts during his meteoric Hollywood career. For he gives the sense that he lives his assumed role, however crudely it is scripted and directed. Yet he will not get an Elia Kazan or a George Stevens to direct him. And his hurt-youth image, which is a factor in his success, will gradually age.

Star power: Rajesh Khanna (left) and Amitabh Bachchan in Anand. Chitre wrote in Quest that Khanna found his best script and director in this film.

Star power: Rajesh Khanna (left) and Amitabh Bachchan in Anand. Chitre wrote in Quest that Khanna found his best script and director in this film.
The best script and director he got so far was in the film Anand, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee who is one of the better directors in the world of commercial Hindi cinema. His worst role was the one in Haathi Mere Saathi in which he plays a sort of elephant-boy and in which one of the three corners of the conventional love triangle is occupied, of all animals, by elephants.

Curiously, Rajesh Khanna is considered a hero worth killing—which is amazing since in Hindi films it is a taboo to kill the hero. Curiously too, he has to die of cancer. He died of cancer in Safar and again in Anand. In Safar he is the leukaemic lover of a would-be doctor. In Anand, he is a cancer patient who spends his limited spell of life to make people around him happy. In Andaz he dies in a motor-bike accident for a change. Is it, one wonders, the expression of a mass death-wish? Some fifteen years ago, Dilip Kumar, the matinee idol then, specialized in dying as a hero. However, Dilip Kumar’s screen deaths brought no shock to the audience since he moved and spoke, from the start, as if he were his own pall-bearer. Rajesh’s screen deaths have some novelty: he is a warm, ebullient, vivacious, blithe young man. Even if he is destined to die, it seems unfair and too early. One has seen teenage girls sob witnessing him die. Or heaving unmistakably erotic sighs when he sings a love song (with the inimitable Kishore Kumar play-back singing for him). For the first time in the history of commercial Hindi cinema a single person has acquired such a following.

Rajesh Khanna with Asha Parekh in Kati Patang

Rajesh Khanna with Asha Parekh in Kati Patang
What has Rajesh Khanna got that others haven’t? He does have acting talent. But there are others who are much better. He is good-looking. But that is neither here nor there. He is certainly not very handsome. What is it then?

Excerpted from The Best of Quest, edited by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala and Arshia Sattar, published by Tranquebar Press, 2011, Rs. 695.

In the book’s last piece, ‘D.’ reveals his identity for the first time ever—he is the late poet and essayist Dilip Chitre.



Source :
http://www.livemint.com/2011/11/11210634/Excerpt--To-die-for.html

Original Super Star - Rajesh Khanna

I’m the original superstar

Looking forward to his 69th birthday, Rajesh Khanna reveals his latest movie plans and how he still ‘hates tears’

Amrapali Sharma / Kunal M Shah


Posted On Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 03:51:11 AM

Rajesh Khanna, after his recent bout of ill health, is happy to celebrate his 69th birthday with his family. With son-in-law Akshay throwing a big bash in Goa for his birthday on December 29, Mumbai Mirror asked the superstar about his feelings. “We have come closer in recent times,” said Khanna and added, “Recently, after my house was renovated, both my daughters came for the pooja. They decorated the mandap and the pandit had come down from Tirupati. We are celebrating another occasion together now.”

Refusing to dwell on his recent bout of illness, Khanna simply said, “Both my doctors are abroad. So, I had to consult another set of doctors.”

Claiming that he is now in the pink of health, he announced that he has signed three films with ‘top producers’. “With all the experience, I will give a third dimension to these films. These films will project Rajesh Khanna in a different way. I would like my fans to come and watch me in the theatre,” he added.

Though he is excited to get back to work, Khanna isn’t ready for politics. “Rajiv Gandhi asked me to contest elections. I couldn’t refuse him. Now, there is only films, films and films in my blood,” said the yesteryear superstar.

Having no regrets in his life, the superstar revealed that if given a chance, he would like to be born again as Rajesh Khanna and do the same things that he has done in life. In fact, he added, “I would repeat the same family, the same friends, the same producers, same happiness, same unhappiness and the same heart burns.”

Reminiscing about his films, Khanna said, “I hate tears. I don’t like tears in personal life either. I have always played characters that are strong. They have emotions but it never comes out in the form of tears. However, in Amar Prem, it did. The tears came and so, in the end, my character asked ‘Pushpa, yeh aansoo kahaan se nikal aaye?’”

Refusing to cry ever in his life, the superstar reiterated, “God has given me happiness. He showed me sad times. I have to be brave. I was born to give people happiness and laughter. I was born to entertain.”

Akki’s yacht party for father-in-law

Rajesh Khanna shares his birthday - December 29 - with his daughter Twinkle Khanna. And the family is headed to Goa for the big celebration. Mirror has learnt that son-in-law Akshay has pulled out all the stops for the big bash, which will be held on a yacht. The take-off point will be Akshay’s Portuguese bungalow at Anjuna beach.

A family member told Mirror, “One superstar is organising a party for another. It is surely a big day. Akshay is extremely close to his mother-in-law Dimple Kapadia. Although the family tries to get together every year on December 29, this year, they wanted it to be extra special.

Being a foodie, Akshay has also decided to fly down two celebrity chefs from Mumbai for the occasion. Akshay’s mother, his sister Alka, mother-in-law Dimple, wife Twinkle, sister-in-law Rinke and son Aarav have already reached Goa and are currently spending some quality time together.

An excited Khanna confirmed the news and added, “On the stroke of midnight, we will cut a cake. There are some 25 people who will be there.” In fact, Akshay has taken special care to keep this a totally family affair. None of his colleagues have been invited, though two of Khanna’s friends are on the guest list.


Oublished by :

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=30&contentid=201112282011122803511773245e687d9