Lifetime achievement award honour for Super Star Rajesh Khanna at IIFA 2009

Lifetime achievement award honour for Rajesh Khanna at IIFA 2009

Often termed as the first superstar of Hindi cinema, actor turned politician Super Star Rajesh Khanna will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Videocon IIFA Weekend, which will be held at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel from June 11 to 13, 2009 in Macau.


Each year, IIFA 2009 honours a member of the Indian Film Fraternity with the Lifetime Achievement Award who has made innumerable contributions to Indian cinema, our sources reveal, keeping this in mind, the IIFA Advisory Board and the IIFA Management have zeroed down on Super Star Rajesh Khanna’s name for the tenth IIFA to be held at Macao.

Super Star Rajesh Khanna’s rise to stardom is considered phenomenal. One can recollect, from 1969 to 2009 (till date), the Super Star Rajesh Khanna phenomenon swept Indian cinema off its feet and the hysteria he generated was unlike anything seen before in Indian Cinema. Super Star Rajesh Khanna made his Bollywood debut with the 1966 film Aakhri Khat, followed by Raaz and Baharon Ke Sapne. But his act in films like Aurat, Khamoshi and Aradhana cemented his status as the new super talent par excellence in the Indian film industry. In 1983, Super Star Rajesh Khanna displayed a spectacular performance with his role in Avtaar. After establishing his mega star status, blockbuster films followed one after another, and women all over the country swooned over him and the men aped him.

Kaka as he is popularly known as, is still adored and fondly remembered by the masses and songs from his popular films are still loved even today. The previous recipients of this award were Lata Mangeshkar (2000), Waheeda Rehman (2001), Yash Chopra (2002), Dev Anand (2003), Yash Johar (2004), V.K. Murthy (2005), Asha Parekh (2006), Dharmendra (2007) and Mumtaz (2008).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNwEWSw8xLw

Kaka's Aashirwad to be his museum

Remember Rajesh Khanna’s sea-facing bungalow Aashirwad on Carter Road, Bandra west? Rajesh Khanna



The residence of the 70s’ superstar is a landmark that GenNow just zips past in its fast cars and superbikes without a second glance. The actor himself, despite a messy attempt at making a comeback this year with the disatrous film Wafaa, is in the wilderness for close to 25 years. But, the buzz is that Aashirwad is being readied by ‘Kaka’ to be the ‘Rajesh Khanna Museum’ very soon.

The former superstar is in the news this week for turning out to be a higher taxpayer the last financial year at Rs 6.87 crore than Bollywood’s current heartthrobs Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Rs 4.7cr), Kareena Kapoor (Rs 3.6cr) and even one-time arch rival Amitabh Bachchan (Rs 1.25cr). This is a mystery, given Kaka’s dubious history with the tax man, that is explained by a close friend who said Kaka is worth over Rs 100 crore because he has sizeable assets in the form of property in Mumbai and Chennai, some of which he sold recently.

But what is more interesting is that Aashirwad, which at one time was reported to be attached by the IT Department because Kaka had defaulted on his taxes, is likely to be converted into a museum. Time was when this bungalow was the nerve centre of Bollywood. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai says, “I have seen legendary filmmakers like Shakti Samanta and Manmohan Desai be a part of Khanna’s coterie here.’’ Apparently renovation is on at Aashirwad and people speculate that Kaka’s son-in-law Akshay Kumar will inherit this property someday.

The former actor, who has a battery of cars, shelves of trophies of his hits films, artefacts and several other valuables inside Aashirwad that are meticulously maintained by a retinue of servants, told BT from Delhi, “Yes, I’m planning to open India’s first star museum here. By the grace of the Almighty, my daughters Twinkle and Rinke are married, settled and have huge houses themselves. They don’t need my property.’’ Then, with some of his old flamboyance, he added, “Aashirwad is the home of the first superstar of Bollywood, and I would like it to remain that way. Of course, my daughters will take the final decision because it will be their inheritance in the future.’’

Link from :

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Kakas-Aashirwad-to-be-his-museum/articleshow/4409553.cms#write

Of sobs and tears - Haathi Mere Saathi : 1971

The first time I cried at the movies was during Haathi Mere Saathi. Rajesh Khanna's elephant had died. I could not believe an elephant could die, either in real life, or in the movies. I felt it was unfair that someone had written in the elephant's death so easily. Baw.

In my defence I was ten. I am now four times that age and I am still crying at the movies.

Hindustan Times
dt. 20-3-2009.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=CinemaSectionPage&id=2415bd3a-cfa5-4a4e-bd66-6e5bf0356704&Headline=Of+sobs+and+tears