Rajesh Khanna, Zeenat Aman at launch of First Time Pehli Baar and reality show Fit Hai To Hit Hai

The 70s in Om Shanti Om

When Farah Khan and Shahrukh come together you can sure expect the unexpected! The latest is that Farah has a surprise SFX scene in her film Om Shanti Om. As you know the film is also about Bollywood in 70s, the director and SRK’s technical team has come up with a sequence in which Deepkia Padukone is seen romancing the yester year hero Rajesh Khanna.


The scene is a requirement because Deepika plays a famous heroine of 70s in the first half of the film. Ah I can’t wait to see the movie!!!

Politics

When his film career was all but over, Rajesh Khanna turned to politics.

Khanna represented the New Delhi constituency in the tenth Lok Sabha. Contesting on a Congress ticket, he defeated the BJP's own cine star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha in a by-election for the seat in 1992.

Rumours were that Khanna was considering quitting the Congress and walking over to the BJP in 1999, but he has stayed loyal to the Congress and actively participated in the party's 2002 electoral campaign in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

Rajesh Khanna - Tthe phenomenon-iv

Reaching superstardom (1969-1972):

It was 1969's Aradhana (pictured here) that changed Rajesh's -- or Kaka as he was fondly called by friends -- fate. Rajesh was seen in a double role, playing Sharmila Tagore's lover, and then son.

The film made him a star overnight. Girls went mad after seeing him, women waited for his car to stop at signals so that they could kiss the car's windowpanes, young girls wrote letters in blood...

In the same year, Rajesh scored once again with Do Raaste. In fact, both Aaradhana and Do Raaste were golden jubilee hits.

From then onwards, there was no looking back for Rajesh. He churned out hit after hit with Ittefaq (1969), Safar (1970), Kati Patang (1970), Sachaa Jhutha (1970), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971), Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), Dushmun (1971), Andaz (1971), Amar Prem (1971), Anand (1971), Daag: A Poem of Love (1973) and Namak Haraam (1973). He gave 15 hits in a row. No star had received so much love, fame and fan frenzy before. He became a phenomenon.

He dabbled with the choice of roles in his films. He played a murderer in Ittefaq, a cancer patient in Anand, a husband to two different women in Daag... His major hits were with Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz but he did the maximum movies with Hema Malini.

During this time, he was nominated and won many awards too.

Sharmila Tagore with Super Star Rajesh Khanna

Sharmila Tagore is an actress who balanced her career between 'art films' and popular cinema. In the 1970s she had a screen association with Rajesh Khanna (who was the film heart throb of heart throbs) that produced some of the all time classics of Bollywood social drama with films like "Aradhana" [1969], "Amar Prem" [1971], and "Safar" [1970]. With her trademark dimpled cheek, amazing bone structure, and wonderful figure she also headed the glamorous A list of popularity in Bollywood masala entertainers.
On screen Tagore seemed as much at home in a 'sizzling' and 'revealing' item number in a film like "An Evening In Paris" as she was in a quiet nearly silent portrayal as an inhibited youth as in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Anupama" [1966].
In 1997 Sharmila Tagore won the award for Lifetime Achievement at the Filmfare Awards. She is truly one of the great actresses of Indian Cinema.

Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore from "Amar Prem"(1971)

Super Star Rajesh Khanna had a prolific and successful collaboration with the singer Kishore Kumar and composer R.D. Burman. A large number of the songs they put to film are truly Bollywood Classics. In the film "Amar Prem" this collaboration produced two evergreen hits, "Chingari Koi Bhadke To Saawan" and "Kuch To Log Kahenge".

Super Star Rajesh Khanna

In many of his heroic roles Rajesh Khanna projected an assuredness and self confidant attitude worthy of his given screen name that means, 'king of kings'. But Rajesh was not packaged in a royal exterior, although he was quite handsome he had ruddy skin, pimples, was of slightly below average height, and was prone to pudginess. What magic he did have was a radiating disarming charm and sensitive sexiness. He was aloof, self interested, with graceful mannerisms that melted woman's hearts. Rajesh Khanna was Bollywoods ultimate romantic superstar.

At the peak of his fame 1969-1972 Rajesh Khanna was the cats pajamas in Bollywood. He experienced an adulation from the public that bordered on hysteria. When he married Dimple Kapadia legend has it that in reaction woman committed suicide. For a giddy moment in history he bridged the gap and hovered as the favored star between the 'classic' heroes of the 50s and 60s and the 'Angry Young Men' of the 70s.