Rajesh Khanna When I didnt quite see him as a superstar

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Two weeks have passed by since the demise of Rajesh Khanna. Dozens of pre-recorded obituaries were played, hundreds of write ups came in the interim, and thousands of blogs came up in his honour and the best of it all, even the man himself sent a recorded message for all his fans, followers, friends and families.

In the meantime, I couldn't quite gather myself to pen down a piece. What should I write? That the man was a legend? Well, everyone 'says' so but then how many of us 'know' that? After all, majority of those belonging to the current generation have probably Google or YouTube as the reference points. That's because unlike some of the other legends who have continued to live on, Rajesh Khanna had faded away in oblivion. So much so that till the news started spreading around his ill health, most of us hadn't really kept a track of his work and personal life.

A fortnight passed by after his death and the thoughts that played in my mind were – 'How did I really know him as a screen personality?' Well, here is a firsthand account!

I come from the generation which hasn't quite seen Rajesh Khanna in his prime. Born in the late 70s, my growing up years were made of the likes of Marte Dum Tak [Govinda], Watan Ke Rakhwale [Mithun Chakraborty], Yodha [Sunny Deol], Sone Pe Suhaaga [Anil Kapoor] and Kanoon Apna Apna [Sanjay Dutt] with Shahenshah [Amitabh Bachchan] topping the list. One can well imagine from the very combination of these films and stars that Rajesh Khanna didn't stand a chance to fit in anywhere. Especially when embarrassments like Masterji were left ignored and social dramas like Aakhir Kyon? and Alag Alag were hardly exciting.

Yes, there were legendary tales being spoken about at home, what with my dad proclaiming that just a tilt in the neck made quite a statement during the early 70s while the audio cassette collection at home did boast of Kati Patang, Safar, Aap Ki Kasam, Aradhana and of course, Anand. However with music industry flourishing with songs like 'Julie Julie Johny Ka Dil Tum Pe Aaya Julie' [Jeete Hain Shaan Se], 'Hawa Hawai' [Mr. India] and 'One Two Ka Four' [Ram Lakhan], there was no way that Rajesh Khanna could have made his presence felt. Well, at least in my own private abode.

That was the 80s.

However, things changed when I happened to come across Ittefaq. A song-less thriller about one night, it came on good old Doordarshan and I was clearly hooked on to this quick-fire 100 minute film, a rarity in not just those days but for the rest of the millennium. Now this was a different Rajesh Khanna that I explored who was not really the sugar coated 'Babumoshai' characterisation that had been embedded into my mind by then. Yes, Anand was the stuff that classics were made for. In fact it is revered even then but what caught my attention was this thriller where a tormentor became a victim.

I drilled further down into the VHS collections of the nearby 'cassette parlour wallah' and checked out all those 'different' films that Rajesh Khanna had done. Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise, what with the likes of The Train, Bawarchi, Namak Haraam, Red Rose, Dharam Kanta and Maqsad showing that he could indeed stay away from being a lover boy if he really wanted.

Yes, a guest appearance in Disco Dancer was an embarrassment and I was willing to let it go as an aberration. However with romance taking a different meaning with the arrival of Khans and even the likes of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Govinda and Mithun Chakraborty reinventing themselves, the films done by Rajesh Khanna couldn't really stand the test of times.

I was following his films; after all Yash Chopra's Vijay was reasonably hyped. However, the moment he turned into a weeping patriarch in Swarg and his presence didn't quite elevate Aa Ab Laut Chale a decade later, it was time to move on for everyone involved.

There were two films that made me most curious though. One was the much maligned Wafaa which was nothing less than shocking. On the other hand Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar, which had actually taken Amitabh Bachchan's Inquilab heads-on didn't even arrive on a DVD.

Now if this political drama too finds its way into my collection, it may just help me at least remember the man a little better.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more