July 18 saw the passing away of one of the most popular romantic heroes of the Indian Cinema, especially the Hindi film industry.
Rajesh Khanna was the heartthrob of millions of people around the world and today those millions are mourning their loss.
Born Jatin Khanna, he gained a foothold in the Mumbai film industry by winning the talent contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare in 1965.
This led to his first film ‘Aakhri Khat’ in the following year.
However, commercial success followed only in 1969, with the release of Shakti Samanta’s ‘Aradhana.’ Essaying a double role, he was catapulted into the hearts of people, crooning the song ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani,’ atop a jeep.
‘Aradhana’ marked the arrival of an actor with unconventionally good looks, a crackling smile with a twinkle in his eyes.
This marked the beginning of a five-year phase in which Rajesh could do no wrong. Hindi cinema was known for hugely popular stars like Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand before him, but none could match the hysteria, which this Amritsar- born actor could generate.
The term ‘Superstar’ was coined for him.
Major attraction
His mannerisms, dance moves, hairstyle and Kurtas were copied by thousands of men all over the world. Girls were his ardent admirers, trying to get a glimpse of their favourite hero wherever he appeared. He was the highest paid star of the film industry in the 1970s.
Music plays a big part in creation of any romantic hero and Khanna’s case was no different. He formed a veritable combination with Sachin Dev Burman, his son Rahul Dev Burman and Kishore Kumar, whose own singing career saw meteoritic rise after he became Khanna’s voice.
Working with directors Shakti Samanta, Hrishekesh Mukherjee, Basu Bhattacharya and others, he delivered several successful films in a row.
Mumtaz and Sharmila Tagore were among his popular heroines.
Khanna’s off-screen life was also eventful. He was in a relationship with actress Anju Mahendru for long, but married 16-year old Dimple Kapadia just before her first film Bobby released in 1973.
The couple separated in 1984. They have two daughters Twinkle (married to actor Akshay Kumar) and Rinki. Both daughters failed to impress filmgoers.
His fall from stardom was as sudden as his meteoric rise.
Changing cinema
The Indian society was changing, with rising societal problems.
Indira Gandhi (then Prime Minister) imposed the infamous Emergency Rule, which reflected the Indian film industry.
Action movies became the norm, and an angry young man Amitabh Bachchan rose to fame almost overnight, thanks to his role as ‘Vijay’ in ‘Sholay’ and to Khanna for his strong recommendation.
The advent of multi-starrers contributed to the decline of the ‘Khanna Era,’ since he was not in their favour.
His last major success as a leading man in ‘Souten’ released in 1983, although ‘Avtaar’ ‘Amrit’ and ‘Swarg’ were also popular.
His foray into politics as a Congress Party candidate was uneventful.
