When women from 9 to 90s queued up outside the studio where Rajesh khanna was shooting
By Rajesh Ahuja
He is one of the greatest stars that Bollywood has ever produced.
In an industry which has seen several actors scale the heights of popularity the huge fan following enjoyed by Rajesh khanna, Bollywood's first superstar, remains unmatched to this day.
According to 'Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar’, an audio book by biographer Yasser Usmaan that captures Rajesh Khanna's journey from being an Amritsar Boy to Bollywood’s first superstar, the huge draw enjoyed by Khanna during his reign as a superstar can be gauged by the fact that there was a long queue of women from nine to ninety outside the studio where he was shooting for his films.
In the audiobook, Sharmila Tagore, superstar Rajesh Khanna’s favourite co-star, mentions that women came out in droves to see him.
She also highlights how they would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse of him, marry his photographs, pull at his clothes and what not. More than just a heartthrob, Khanna was an idol to them.
“There was a long queue of women from nine to ninety outside the studio where we worked. The hysteria was unprecedented. He (Rajesh Khanna) probably didn’t have the attributes that are normally associated with a hero, what he had was a disarming smile, youthful energy and an innate sense of drama and a well-modulated voice which he used to his fullest advantage,” Sharmila Tagore said in the audio book.
To this, Yasser Usman adds, “Mostly remembered as a romantic actor as he had a vulnerable lost air about him that made women of all ages feel safe around him”.
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A new audio book captures Rajesh Khanna’s journey from being an Amritsar to becoming Bollywood’s first superstar |
Considering the huge draw enjoyed by the actor, it was not surprising that his sudden marriage with Dimple Kapadia left millions of his women fans heart broken.
'The news of Rajesh Khanna tying a knot ended up becoming the biggest event of the year. Hoards of women were left heart broken, some of them went into a state of shock, while some who previously married his photo decided to wear white to symbolize widowhood.
As per magazine Devi the entire act of his wedding with Dimple Kapadia was “nothing more but a publicity stunt for whatever it was worth,the audio book, available on Audible.in said.
Ahead of the death anniversary of Rajesh khanna, on July 18, the audiobook captures some tales from the actor’s life .
The audio book recalls an altercation between Rajesh khanna and Shakti Samanta about a retake for a scene in Aradhana.
'In an altercation about a retake for a scene (in Aradhana), Rajesh Khanna looked at director Shakti Samanta straight in the eyes and said “isse better performance aapko India mei koi nahi dega.” (no one will give you a better performance than this).
To which Samanta later confided, “Rajesh Khanna is finished. He is dead. If he thinks this third rate shot was great, obviously his mind wasn’t working.” But the history books would disagree since Aradhana was a part of Khanna’s steps towards stardom,'the audio book says.
Another such incident happened on the sets of the 1979 movie Janta Hawaldar.
'Noted comic-actor Mehmood complained that working with Khanna was a harrowing experience. Mehmood even beat up Khanna before the end of filming, Mehmood complained that it was the company that Khanna kept that destroyed his career.,'the book said.
In another chapter, the book mentions that Rajesh khanna's fascination for whiskey and love for food started showing more than he would have liked.
'With more than 3 flop movies in a row and the not so “cute boy” looks, Khanna could see his career coming to an end in front of his eyes. Most filmmakers thought that Khanna’s off-screen troubles seeped into his work. He was popular enough to attract roles but his failures made him a second-round star.
Rajesh and his films had ceased to create history. Adding to this, his fascination for whiskey and love for food started showing more than he would have liked.,'it said.
The audio book says that from the years 1969 to 1972, one can find Rajesh Khanna’s)name in any discussion for Hindi Cinema as he was the face of mainstream cinema then.
'A boy with big dreams Jatin Khanna, hailing from Amritsar adopted the on-screen name ‘Rajesh’ and who knew that it would be etched in the memories of so many hearts across the globe. He did it the hard way .
During the United Producers Combine Talent hunt contest (1965), Jatin used his well-modulated voice to engross the judges with each passing line as he delivered a monologue during the finals, which made him beat 10000 participants. Rajesh Khanna’s struggles ended the day he signed his contract with the United Producers combine,'the audiobook said.
Rajesh Khanna died on July 18, 2012.
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