Super Star Rajesh Khanna defends his movie Wafaa

Rajesh Khanna defends his movie
By: Sonal ChawlaDate: 2008-12-20
Mumbai:

Young at Heart: Rajesh Khanna in a still from Raghukul Reet Sadaa Chali Aayee

Says a defiant Rajesh Khanna, insisting his role in Wafaa isn't everyone's cup of tea

After seeing the intimate pictures of Rajesh Khanna in Wafaa, I wanted to go visit Rajesh Khanna to understand why he accepted such a role.

I just needed to know. And also, for the sake of my mother, who was anguished that her once upon a time favourite hero had stooped to conquer.

I just barged into his sets in Film City, Goregaon, where he was shooting for a Hindi serial, Raghukul Reet Sadaa Chali Aayee and demanded he speak to me. Here are excerpts from my conversation with him...

Tell me about your role in Wafaa?

It has released today... you can go see it! (Smiles)

What motivated you to choose such a role?

What do you mean, motivate? (Pauses) It's a powerful script and a powerful role. It's a dynamic role, which is not every actor's cup of tea and so I chose that role. I know what you really want to ask me.

Okay then, so tell me. What made you do those scenes...
It is a bold script, undoubtedly. It is so bold that the Censor Board has given it a 'U' certificate (laughs).

It received a 'U' certificate after the bold scenes were chopped? As far as I know, it has an 'A' certificate...
I don't think so. I haven't seen the film after the censorship decision. But I've been told that there were very minor cuts. I know you want to ask me I am doing such scenes at this age with a heroine half my age.

Especially after doing 175 films which have been so beautifully oriented in terms of characterisation, in story matter, lyrics and songs. You would want to know that if in the song Roop Tera Mastana (Aradhana) the hero doesn't even touch the heroine, and yet the song had romance as well as sex, why I have done this?
Exactly...

My answer is because the subject demanded it and I'm sure once you see the movie, you will know and understand and will agree that it is justified. I will say that the romantic scenes are not Bollywood, but Hollywood. I'm brave enough to say that to own up to it. I am not at all shy or even reluctant to say this: I am proud of those scenes because behind those scenes there is a story. I am not a fool that at this age, given what I am today, I will do a Hollywood style romance with an actress half my age. I am a very sensible guy. I have my head on my shoulders. I have no dearth of films.

Your fans are very disappointed.

Seeing the photographs and trying to judge and pass judgment is not justified. It is no justice done to Mr Rajesh Khanna because I would not do a thing that would bring me dishonour, or be below my dignity. All my films are not like this. I have not done it in 175 films, why will I do it now??? The story demanded it. The subject demanded it. It is a very new kind of subject, and so I went for it. When one sees the photographs it gives you a wrong impression but when you see it in the film, it gives you an impression that it had to be this way! And it is not done deliberately or to attract audience into the theatre. That's the publicity or game plan of the producer or the director and not the actor! When my fans see the film, they will write in to say they got the wrong impression from the photographs.

What reactions have you received since the photos were published?

We do our role and go away. We are not forced in to it. There is grace in every scene. There is dignity in every scene. Other wise Rajesh Khanna is not game. I went from being an actor to a star, and then a superstar. My audience has made me who I am. I have their love and affection and I don't want to lose that.

Your co-star Laila Khan says you treated her like a daughter, was it difficult to do intimate scenes with her?

No. Laila might have said that but I don't say that. It is not a father-daughter relationship. It is two friends who could happen to be of a different age group but we are friends, we are colleagues and she is my heroine and the only difference is the age barrier.

Laila might have said that but I don't say that. It is not a father daughter relationship. It is two friends who could happen to be of a different age group but we are friends, we are colleagues and she is my heroine; the only difference is the age barrier

I am not at all shy or not even reluctant to say this: I'm proud of those scenes because behind those scenes, there is a story. I am not a fool that at this age, given what I am today, I will do a Hollywood style romance with an actress half my age

It's a powerful script and a powerful role. It's dynamic and isn't every actor's cup of tea and so I chose that role Rajesh Khanna

http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2008/dec/201208-Rajesh-Khanna-Raghukul-Reet-Wafaa-Film-City-Roop-Tera-Mastana-Bollywood.htm

Super Star Rajesh Khanna's Wafaa at Box Office

After going through the long interview of Kaka on 20.12.2008, it seems that media is highlighting some bold scenes of Wafa in an exaggarated manner. There are other factors as well in this film,such as performance of Kaka, his most dynamic and perfect characterization as Multimillionaire of Thailand and he looks really most handsome and glamorous in the role, especially in the song of Tere Bagair... . But strange the media only creating nonsense about some bed scenes and kissing scenes. First of all we should look after that upto what extent these scenes are present in the main film. As per Kaka versions it has given a U certificate. So if this is true, then there is no question of controversial scenes.

SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA'S BIRTHDAY ON 29TH DECEMBER, 2008

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SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA : An actor par excellence
On his SIXTY SIX birthday on 29th December, 2008, I may highlight some inner capabilities of the GREATEST LIVING LEGEND & THE REAL AND ONLY SUPER STAR OF INDIAN CINEMA as a most refined actor, rather, an actor par excellence, which have experienced for the last four decades through his outstanding performances. These are in addition to his classic facial ex-pressions which emerge effortlessly on his face and the style and arrogance brought by him on the silver screen. The rigorous use of his voice to communicate a character’s lines and express emotion, which he achieved through attention to diction and projection through correct breathing and articulation. It has also achieved by him through the tone and emphasis that an real actor puts on words. Characterization/Physicalisation of a role in order to create a believable character for the audience and to use the acting space appropriately and correctly. Use of gesture to complement the voice, interact with other actors and to bring emphasis to the words in a play, as well as having symbolic meaning.

SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA'S BIRTHDAY ON 29TH DECEMBER, 2008

SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA'S BIRTHDAY ON 29TH DECEMBER, 2008
























































· SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA : An actor par excellence
On his SIXTY SIX birthday on 29th December, 2008, I may highlight some inner capabilities of the GREATEST LIVING LEGEND & THE REAL AND ONLY SUPER STAR OF INDIAN CINEMA as a most refined actor, rather, an actor par excellence, which have experienced for the last four decades through his outstanding performances. These are in addition to his classic facial ex-pressions which emerge effortlessly on his face and the style and arrogance brought by him on the silver screen. The rigorous use of his voice to communicate a character’s lines and express emotion, which he achieved through attention to diction and projection through correct breathing and articulation. It has also achieved by him through the tone and emphasis that an real actor puts on words. Characterization/Physicalisation of a role in order to create a believable character for the audience and to use the acting space appropriately and correctly. Use of gesture to complement the voice, interact with other actors and to bring emphasis to the words in a play, as well as having symbolic meaning.

RAJESH KHANNA - 1987

Posted online: Friday, January 30, 2004 at 0000 hours IST



Rajesh and I are good friends.’ - Anju Mahendru (July ’87).
‘He is the father of my children and a very integral part of my life. He can never be unimportant.’ - Dimple (July ’87).
‘After every quarrel, he would inundate me with gifts as if he was courting me all over again.’ - Tina Munim (August ’87).
Three beautiful women. Three controversial relationships.

Three complex chapters in Khanna’s life. What is it about Rajesh Khanna, that women who loved and lost him cannot be indifferent to the memory? Why is it that they drag their pasts into the present and discuss him when he’s no more a part of their life? We decided to question the women. Persuading them to talk wasn’t easy. If Anju Mahendru was unsure, Dimple was hesitant and Tina tight-lipped. ‘I’m not sure if it’s right to discuss him,’ said Anju, sitting in her plush bungalow in Juhu and swallowing an aspirin to recover from a throbbing headache. ‘It’s a controversial subject...’ remarked Dimple in-between shots during a late night shooting of a Rajkumar Kohli film. ‘What can I say? Anyway, how will it help...?’ asked a reticent Tina when I contacted her over the phone one Sunday.

I spend long hours with the three women before they were willing to journey into their past and tell a strange story of half-forgotten truths. We flip back the pages of this still-open book to understand the mystique of a man called Rajesh Khanna...

Anju Mahendru: Just one month after Rajesh Khanna left her to marry Dimple Kapadia, Anju called up the ‘Naaz’ theatre to check his box-office popularity. This, for a man who led his baraat past her bungalow, only to spite her. Still, erasing his memory is not as easy for Anju. His perverseness was the other side of his generosity. His cruel moods alternated with his gentle nature. Anju was bohemian and sharptongued,- , a contrast to the diplomatic Khanna. Then what made R.K., the conservative raised in a traditional household, fall in love with the bold, independent model-cum-aspiring actress? The differences resulted in conflicts. Taking it as a challenge, R.K. sought to change his girlfriend. Today says Anju:


‘Basically he is a very orthodox man, yet somehow he always gets attracted to ultra modern girls. I know it’s a contradiction, but then Rajesh Khanna is like that. Confusion was a part of our relationship. If I wore a skirt, he’d snap, why don’t you wear a saree? If I wore a saree, he’d wrinkle his nose and say, why are you trying to project a Bhartiya nari look? Things became worse when stardom found Rajesh Khanna. The champagne-and-roses affair was threatened by the very popularity and success the two had dreamt of. Rajesh Khanna, the heartthrob of millions, never got encouragement from the person he most needed - Anju. Unsure of himself, he’d watch the rushes of his films with her, waiting for praise and appreciation. It never came. Instead, criticism was all he got. Anju refused to become another Khanna sycophant. She refused to see him in any other light than how she had always known him.



Says Khanna now, ‘I didn’t expect praise. All I wanted was a nod of approval... A gesture that reassured. But she was always ruthlessly critical. ‘I was critical because that’s how I am,’ explains Anju. ‘If he was bad, I always said so. Why should I have praised him just to keep him happy? There were plenty around to boost his ego. He has always been sensitive to criticism and I’ve always been very frank.’

Rajesh was going through the teething troubles of nouveau success. Anju, as the woman in his life, found herself at sea, coping with him. She was defensive. When Rajesh got back from a shooting schedule, he’d get frantic if Anju wasn’t in the beautiful bungalow he had gifted her. He would call up all her friends to trace her whereabouts. He’d follow her everywhere. ‘If I went somewhere, he’d trail me and ring me up consistently,’ reveals Anju. ‘The world was after me and I was after her,’ says the ex-superstar bitterly today.’ In retrospect, Rajesh sums up his relationship with Anju as one of unequals. ‘I married Dimple on the rebound and Tina was a balm on the wounds inflicted by Dimple.’

Today, 17 years after the unpleasant break up of their seven year live-in- relationship, Anju would rather be friends with Rajesh Khanna, than nurse old grievances. The two have struck a special relationship that only years of knowing each other can bring about. Whether it’s sharing a drink or teasing each other about their current dates, there is an easy camaraderie. Anju and Rajesh have come a long way. Says an embarrassed Anju, ‘When we spoke to each other for the first time after almost 17 years, I admit that both of us felt a bit awkward. I didn’t call him Jatin as I used to in the past and he didn’t call me Nikki. I didn’t call him Kaka either. It would have been too filmi!’

Dimple Kapadia: When Dimple came into Rajesh Khanna’s life, little did she know that she would have to bear the brunt of the casualties in his first affair. The young teen star was swept off her feet when the charming Khanna dramatically threw Rishi Kapoor’s ring into the sea and proposed marriage. From childhood she was roughly jerked into adulthood. The marriage went wrong from the very beginning. Ironically, Dimple’s complaints against Rajesh were similar to Rajesh’s complaints against Anju. ‘Everywhere I went, I was told that I was the most gorgeous woman in the world. But I never got a word of praise from him. It was as if he hadn’t noticed me.’

Three beautiful women. Three controversial relationships. Three complex characters in Khanna’s life. What is it about Rajesh Khanna, that women who loved and lost him cannot be indifferent to the memory
Vulnerable and eager for reaction, Dimple was so awestruck by her superstar husband, that she was totally subjugated and robbed of the confidence to behave in a natural manner. She wore what he liked - sarees, and mixed with the people he approved of - his chamchas. It was always his approval that mattered. Says Dimple, ‘I was always waiting for some reaction, but it never came. All my energy was spent in doing what he wanted and anticipating his approval. It was like climbing a ladder. No matter how fast I climbed, he was still many rungs ahead.’

Things became worse, when Rajesh Khanna’s films started flopping. He became more rigid and withdrew into his shell. If Anju couldn’t cope with his success, Dimple couldn’t cope with his failure. ‘He neither shared his happiness nor his sorrow and I was too frightened of giving him any kind of support. All I could do was wait in attendance just in case he needed me.’ Maybe it’s got something to do with the man that makes women involved with him feel insecure. Maybe in their insecurity, Khanna seeks his security. During her marriage, Dimple’s self-esteem was low. Rajesh Khanna was a strong force to contend with. The truth was that the two married each other for all the wrong reasons. They failed each other in every way. And separation was the only way out.

Today, distance has brought about mutual understanding between the two. When a colleague recently remarked that Dimple had a volatile temper, her separated husband was the first one to defend her. ‘I’ve been told that Dimple uses foul language when she’s in a bad mood. I’ve never experienced this side of her. She is always ladylike and polite when we were together. She was and is a good mother to her daughters. I must give her full marks for that.’

On her part, Dimple acknowledges that Khanna has been a formidable influence on her life. The impressions he has left behind cannot be wiped away. Today, if Dimple remembers the trauma of living in ‘Aashirwad’, she cannot forget the tenderness, either. ‘When he wants to charm you, he always succeeds. He is very generous - both with his purse and his heart. Anyone who comes into close contact with him will vouch for this.’ Life with Rajesh Khanna had its highs and lows. When Saagar was released two years ago, Dimple said, ‘I would have loved to have someone to share Saagar with. On second thoughts, if Mr. Khanna had been around, there would probably be no Saagar! He would never have allowed me to act in films. But when my first film flopped, I did miss Kaka.’

http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=7148