Rajesh Khanna - The Super Star I adored

Rajesh Khanna looked so good in Amar Prem

Considering that I was just about 6-7 years old when Rajesh Khanna was giving hit after hit, I should not have been enamoured by the super-star. I was too young when ‘Aradhana’ was released and became a super-duper hit. But I do have a very clear memory of the hoarding of the film ‘Anand’ which co-incidentally was running at Anand cinema at Lucknow at Qaiserbagh. I saw that hoarding whenever I would go that side with my parents or grand-parents in which Rajesh Khanna is sitting on the ground with his feet crossed and his hand on his cheek with his head tilted to the side .This went on for month after month and I would also notice the white and red  coloured board of ‘House Full’ which would perennially hang at the entrance of the cinema hall.

One of the finest films ever made. Anand.

I started watching movies early in life. My grand-father loved watching movies. He would never socialize or do anything which could be construed as ‘entertainment’ except for the sunday evening show. There was no television in Lucknow at that time.I accompanied my grand parents each Sunday at 6 PM. There were 21 theatres within walking distance to the house. If there were no new releases then we would go to some old movie. My knowledge about movies and film-stars became ‘solid’ at a very early age.

Rajesh Khanna, the super star visited Lucknow to receive an award from an Association of which my father was a member. At first no one believed that Rajesh Khanna would come for the function to a place like Lucknow. Then it became certain that ‘the Rajesh Khanna’ was coming. As the news about the imminent visit of Rajesh Khanna spread in Lucknow, my father’s car would be gheraoed each evening by young men who would want the passes for the function.

Rajesh Khanna breezed into Lucknow and stayed for a couple of days. The entire town talked of nothing else. He stayed at Carlton Hotel and my parents would accompany him for all the functions and parties. I was too small to be taken to these occasions but my father promised me that he would make me meet the ‘hero.’ It was important for me to meet the super star so I could tell my school friends about it.

My parents talked about the adulation this man received from all and sundry and they would talk about his charm and the way he handled all his admirers. They said he was very charming, very patient and people just adored him.They were also mesmerized by him. 

The award function was held at Ravindralaya and there were more people outside the hall than inside. The street outside was jammed and it was the police which had a tough time controlling the crowd. Kaka wore a suit and looked really dashing. Each sentence he spoke at the function was greeted lustily by the audience. I think the entire country was in love with one man at that particular time.

Rajesh Khanna was a big hit when he came to Lucknow in 1973. I managed a photograph with him. I am the little boy next ti the boy in specs.

My father kept his promise and took me for an afternoon lunch with the super star at the exclusive Mahommed Bagh Club. As it was a club, the entry was limited so there was no rif raf crowd, and I managed my quotas of photographs and autographs. It was fascinating to see women and girls sitting on his lap and getting pictures clicked. There were other stars like Rakesh Roshan and all but they hardly got any attention. I got a photograph with Rakesh Roshan and as his film ‘Aankhon Ankhon mein’ was about to be released, I hoped that the film would be a success so people would know with whom I had the photograph clicked. The funny part was that the great showman 'Raj Kapoor' had also come for the same function but no one seemed to notice !

It was at the airport at his departure time the same evening that I saw what mass hysteria about a star can be. For a 10 year old it was a big shock. Tens of thousands of people had gathered at the airport. Rajesh was whisked inside a lounge. My friend wanted his autograph so I sneaked inside the lounge. There were only girls inside the lounge. I think the instructions was to allow only the girls. I stood in the corner fascinated as each new girl who would enter the lounge would look at him and start screaming. One girl touched him and fainted right there! This was really unreal.

I managed to sneak up to the super star and asked him for an autograph. He smiled at me and said: ‘Beta-I don’t know English. How can I give you an autograph?’ Before I could react he took the autograph book from my hand and signed on it. He ruffled my hair and patted my cheek and asked in his charming voice : ‘theek hai na ? Khush ?(Ok now ? happy ?). Little would he have known at that time that he had made a fan for life!

Aradhana made Kaka the Super Star

I had not only becaome a ‘fan’ but had become a loyal hardcore fan. I never missed any of Kaka's films. My room would have his posters. I bought all the LP records of his hit films. Thanks to Kaka, I became a big fan of Kishore Kumar as well.  Any magazine with Rajesh Khanna on the cover would certainly be read by me. I read ‘Star & Style’ regularly because Deviyani Chaubal wrote about him in each issue in her column ‘Frankly speaking.’ Devi (as Devyani was known) was a true gossip columnist. She was feared by the film fraternity as she would write anything and everything. Once Dharmendra chased her and bashed her up in Mumbai. I saw quite a bit of her recently in the BBC film called ‘The Indian Superstar.’ This film was made in 1974 on Rajesh Khanna and has quite a few comments from Devi about the ‘super-star.’  It is quite clear from the film that Devi knew Kaka inside out.

Devyani Chaubal. Her pen was mightier than sword.

Devi had a love hate relationship with Kaka. Its said that she had an affair with Kaka as well. Devi had a paralytic attack in 1985 and died a lonely figure in 1995.

I saw all of Kakas films including the  flop films like Maha chor, Chalta Purza, Chaila Babu, Bhola Bhala, Dil e Nadaan, Majnoon, Janta Havaldar etc..Moderate hits like Kudrat, Avtaar, Amardeep, Thodi si Bewafaai, Dard and Rajput were seen by me 3-4 times as I felt they were good films. I always prayed for his success and would get very agitated when family members would criticize him. I wished for a comeback for him. Each time he was nominated for a filmfare award, I would hope that he would get it. Kaka’s abrupt fall from these dizzying heights had left us die-hard fans devastated. Even years later, when it was all over, I thought Kaka just might fight back. Devyani predicted ‘Return of Rajesh’ in one of the columns. When Avtaar and Souten did well at box office, her headline was ‘Return of Rajesh- I told you so.’ Kaka did fight back, briefly, but it was too late. He had lost the charisma and the looks. Once Kaka's face matured, he lost his boyishness. After 1978 he didn’t look good either. His famous mannerisms had become his enemy. 

Coincidentally, Kaka  played his part during my board results of class X and class XII. I was on my way for ‘Red Rose’ when I was told that my class X results had been declared. I did much better than expected. I did see ‘Red Rose’ a couple of days later but it was a terrible film. In 1982 I was watching Kaka’s ‘Ashanti’ at liberty cinema in Lucknow when my friend Kaku barged into the theatre, called out my name aloud in his booming voice and on finding me , scooped me into his arms for doing brilliantly in ISC (XII) results. In the days when there was no mobile phone, he had hunted me down to this theatre. This was the 3^rd theatre he had visited. I have never seen the complete film till date. But the fact remains that Kaka proved to be lucky for me.

Looking back, I am intrigued about Rajesh Khanna . Why did he agree to do an off beat film like Aavishkar at the height of his career ? The film did get him the filmfare award but no superstar of that era would have touched a film like this. It was an out and out ‘art’ film.  He did plenty of women oriented films like Khamoshi, Aradhana, Safar, Kati Patang and Amar Prem and came out tops. If you look at Amar Prem- isn’t it like an off beat film with great music ? Have you seen Dushman? It had such an unconventional script but it turned out to be such a big hit thanks to the stellar performance of Rajesh Khanna.

Kaka experimented with new scripts and roles when he was on top. He would do a Bawarchi which had no lead actress for him to romance. Why would an actor known for a romantic image do this?  Herein lies the enigma of Rajesh Khanna.

All the films starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz were super hits

The media said that Kaka was a manipulator. They said that he had a wicked streak in him. They also said that he was mean to his co-stars and behaved arrogantly with them. We believed what media wrote as we didn’t have any other source. Over the years I have read and heard several interviews given by Shabana Azmi, Rekha, Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Anju Mahendru and Mumtaz. Not even in a single instance did any one of them have to say anything bad about Kaka. He is supposed to have ditched Anju Mahendru and Mumtaz at different times. They said that he deliberately took his ‘baraat’ from the road on which Anju’s house was. Mumtaz is supposed to have left film industry just because Kaka decided to marry Dimple at a time when she was in love with him. Yet, they paid glowing tributes to him on his death. Sharmila and Shabana always talk about his charm, his charisma with women fans and his ability to give all his attention to his fans. Shabana went on to all the TV channels and had a lot of good things to say about him. Would a person like Shabana, who acted in almost 10 films with him, talk so highly about a manipulator ?

Amitabh replaced Rajesh Khanna as the super star. The media said that they were sworn enemies and did not see eye to eye. Amitabh’s glowing tribute to the ‘super star’ tells another story.

Namak Haram changed the equation. One super star  replaced another.

When you are declared a ‘God’ and worshipped for so many years, you do start to believe in it . Kaka was no different. For him the ‘fall’ was  difficult to handle and he couldn’t handle it. It is as simple as that.

Today I heard the recording he had left for his family, friends and fans. What style man ! I believe it was played by the family at the prayer meeting. I enjoyed listening to it. I am glad the media and public gave him such an honour and coverage on his death. India’s first super-star certainly deserved this.