TRIBUTE PAID TO SUPERSTAR RAJESH KHANNA

TRIBUTE PAID TO SUPERSTAR

RAJESH KHANNA

Superstar Rajesh Khanna passed away on Wednesday,17^th July,2012, afternoon at his residence Aashirwad in Mumbai. He was 70. He had been battling prolonged illness for a long time and finally had to bow down to it.

The actor’s condition had been deteriorating since April when he stopped eating and had complained of weakness. He was admitted to Lilavati Hospital twice in the past month. The actor was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday but due to extreme weakness and low blood pressure, the actor was on ventilatorActor Rajesh Khanna has died at home in Mumbai. He was 69. Mr Khanna was suffering from cancer. Mr Khanna will be cremated tomorrow morning at 11.30am. His bungalow, Aashirwad, on Carter Road in Bandra has been cordoned off by the police.
Mr Khanna's son-in-law, actor Akshay Kumar, addressed the press and asked fans to pray for the late star. Mr Khanna had been hospitalised on June 23, when he was taken to Lilavati Hospital to be treated for exhaustion, and spent some days having tests. He was discharged just yesterday.Worried fans had lined up outside Aashirwad on June 21 when Mr Khanna was said to have stopped eating. He was later reported to be "more than fine" by son-in-law, actor Akshay Kumar. Mr Khanna himself appeared on his balcony, visibly weak and wearing dark glasses, to wave at his fans and give them the victory sign.
Mr Khanna had also been hospitalized for a few days in April this year.Mr Khanna's ex-wife, actress Dimple Kapadia, has nursed him through his illness. They have two daughters together - Twinkle, who is expecting her second child with husband Akshay Kumar, and Rinke who is married to businessman Sameer Saran.

Mr Khanna was the top actor in Bollywood during the Seventies and early Eighties, and is considered to be it's first real superstar. He was the star of romantic comedies and dramas such asAnand, Aradhana and Kati Patanag. He won three Filmfare awards in his long career.Mr Khanna also held a Lok Sabha seat as a Congressman from 1992-1996. A host of politicians, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, joined Bollywood celebrities in expressing their grief over Mr Khanna's death.

Born on December 29, 1942, as Jatin Khanna, Rajesh Khanna was raised by the relatives of his biological parents. He attended St. Sebestian's Goan High School along with his childhood friend Ravi Kapoor, who later adopted the screen name Jeetendra. Always high on confidence, Khanna was the other name for style. He approached filmmakers in his own MG sports car during his struggling days.Destined to be an actor, Khanna had won several acting competitions at various levels before debuting in 'Aakhri Khat' (1966). What else could a first timer wish for other than a director like Chetan Anand? However, his real break was Ravindra Dave's 'Raaz' (1967). After a string of successful films such as 'Baharon Ke Sapne', 'Aradhana', 'Ittefaq', and 'Do Raaste', he marched into the hearts of millions of his fans, who credited Khanna with the title of superstar.

Delivering 15 consecutive solo hits seemed easy every time his face appeared on the posters of a new film. Dev Anand's era was gone and the nation had started digressing from Nehruvian philosophies. Khanna and his contemporary filmmakers realised the importance of providing an alternate reality to the spectators.It brought in an era of storytelling when filmmakers would not hesitate to bring out the weaknesses in the main characters on the screen. It brought Khanna closer to the general audiences who wanted to come out of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt's preaching style of acting and dialogue delivery.He became the man who loved till death, and who was brave enough to admit his mistakes, unlike his predecessors who knew what emotion they want to evoke right from the first shot.He didn't have a Greek god's features, and did not fight with hundreds of goons, in fact he looked vulnerable, but it was this susceptibility which endeared him to his female fans.

Thanks to composers such as SD Burman, Salil Chaudhary and Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the actor became the epitome of romance. He nodded his way into the hearts of college going, cycle riding girls.The second phase of his acting career began with 'Anand'. Probably his most memorable role, 'Anand' showed how one can play a character without wearing the superstar tag. With 'Dushman', 'Amar Prem', 'Bawarchi', 'Daag', 'Avishkar', 'Namak Haram' and 'Aap Ki Kasam', the cordial relation with the audiences went on till the social set up changed its course in 1975.

Khanna's personal life was not as glittering as his screen avatars. His relationship w Dimple remained his closest partner in life. Khanna's stint with the small screen through serials like 'Apne Paraye' and 'Ittefaq' can be considered successful. He tried his hand at politics and was an MP from Delhi.Today, he might not be with his fans (ironically he did a TV commercial saying he will remain with his fans forever), but lovers of every age group will look up to his films for inspiration and hope.

Prof. John Kurakar