Rajesh Khanna, one of the Indian film industry’s first home-grown screen idols, died yesterday morning, his family said, according to Reuters.
Khanna, 69, had been in and out of hospital over the past month as a result of an undisclosed illness. He died at his residence in suburban Mumbai, his son-in-law and actor Akshay Kumar told reporters.
The funeral will be held today.
Known for his shy smile and flamboyant looks, Reuters says that Khanna was often referred to as Bollywood’s first real superstar, someone who had a fanatical fan base among women, thanks to the many romantic hits in which he starred during the 1970s.
Reuters said that at the peak of his career, women would symbolically marry posters of Khanna and write letters to him in blood, according to actors who worked with him.
“Rajesh Khanna taught us how to smile. He added dignity to our concept of romance,” actor Anupam Kher wrote on Twitter.
His role as a dashing young pilot in “Aradhana” and a terminally ill cancer patient in “Anand” remain some of the most remembered characters in Bollywood, and many of the lines are part of Indian pop culture, Reuters said.
Khanna, who was born Jatin Khanna, married fellow actor Dimple in 1973, and had two daughters with her, but the couple separated in the 1980s.
Tributes to Khanna poured in, including from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Indian television channels ran special shows on his films and social networking sites like Twitter were full of tributes to Khanna.
Part of India’s parliament during the 1990s, Khanna dabbled in politics for a while, but in his later years he become a recluse, hardly appearing in public, Reuters reported.
His last appearance before the camera was an ad for a ceiling fan brand earlier this year, where his gaunt and haggard appearance distressed many fans.
The Times of India said that the cause of his death has not been officially announced. But doctors treating him at Lilavati hospital hinted at cancer.
The newspaper described his career as follows: “Once he rode into a nation’s heart serenading Sharmila Tagore with Mere sapnon ki raani in Aradhana (1969) and followed it up with another blockbuster Do Raaste a few weeks later, Rajesh Khanna rewrote box-office history. Between the years 1969 and 1972 almost everything he touched turned to gold — 15 consecutive hits of various degrees. No wonder producers chanted: Upar aaka, neeche Kaka (God above and Kaka, Khanna’s pet name, below).
“Nobody really knows how an actor of average build, middling height and a face often sprayed with pimples hypnotized India. May be, he was the last gasp of innocence when India was getting angry about unemployment and price rise, a hyphen between the simplicity of the years gone by and the uncertainty of the future. May be, it was just written. Unable to find a phrase that captured the phenomenon, the industry finally coined a new term: the superstar.
“He behaved like a superstar too. BBC journalist Jack Pizzey described him as someone with the charisma of Rudolph Valentino and the arrogance of Napoleon. The star had missed his interview appointment five times.
“The Amritsar-born actor was too big and too swept away by fame to care. Who wouldn’t when even street fashion was defined by your personality? The belt slapped over shirt, the round-collared guru kurta, a smart ploy to hide a growing waistline, all became a rage. And even in those no-sat-TV days, his smile sold toothpaste (Macleans).
“He was the king of romance; most at home shaking his head and crooning love nothings. Songs were the spine of his movies; he revived Kishore Kumar’s singing career in Aradhana. But the actor brought no revolution to the art of celluloid love; he just gently blended the playfulness of Dev Anand with a fraction of Dilip Kumar’s intensity; to this he added his own charm and style”, the Times of India said.
Many of his co-stars expressed sorrow.
“It’s a terrible day for all of us in the industry,” said Saira Banu, who acted in nearly a dozen films with Khanna. “He was a very humble person despite his superstar status.”
Several celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan, Anu Malik, Vindu Dara Singh, Sajid Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan turned up at the actor’s Bandra residence Ashirwad yesterday.
Veteran actor Manoj Kumar told IANS on phone: “I could not believe that he is no more with us. Earlier it was Dara Singh, now it is Rajesh. I feel god is upset with the industry. Rajesh was a different personality. He made a mark for himself through his hard work.”
Expressing shock at the demise of Khanna, veteran actor Hema Malini said she always hoped that he would recover.
“We always thought he would come back (from the hospital). We are in shock right now,” Hema told a TV news channel.
Though a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles with ease in his illustrious career spanning four decades. His portrayal as a cancer patient in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-film Anand (1971) in which he got the better of Amitabh Bachchan left many teary eyed.
Sharmila Tagore, who paired in a number of hits with Khanna including Aradhana and Amar Prem, said no other actor ever had a fan following like the superstar.
“He was most certainly the first superstar and with due respect to other actors, nobody created that kind of a craze after him,” Sharmila told PTI.
Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar said she was saddened by Khanna’s death.
“Film industry has lost a famous artist today in Rajesh Khanna. I am deeply saddened by his death. I share the grief of Dimpleji, his daughters and his son-in-law and pray that his soul rests in peace”, Mangeshkar tweeted.
Overcome with emotions after Khanna’s death, yesteryear Bollywood star Mumtaz, who acted with him in many hits, today said the actor was “very close” to her.
Speaking to PTI, Mumtaz said she was “crying the whole morning”, but was happy that she had met the ailing Khanna – ‘Kaka’ to his fans – in Mumbai last month, when the two discussed their respective battles with cancer.
Bollywood actress Vyajanti Mala mourning Rajesh Khanna’s death said that she will forever remember his role in Anand. “He was a very good actor. May his soul rest in peace.”
