‘Dimple is back in my family’ Super Star Rajesh Khanna

‘Dimple is back in my family’ Super Star Rajesh Khanna:

Rajesh Khanna is hale and hearty. The yesteryear superstar has just returned from a good holiday, and with Dimple and family around, seems to be recovering from a recent bout of illness rather well. Says the actor in his typical way, “I am no God. I am a human being made of flesh and blood, so obviously sickness at my age is a given thing. Frankly speaking, I have had a pretty hectic life all these years, but those were also the times of my life that I enjoyed the best. I lived like a king.”
True, he lived life king-size, courting and possessing what’s best around him, acting as lead hero in over 100 films, setting the world of male fashion on fire for a period, and launching new trends for the young and the yuppie crowds of his generation with a rare command and fervour.
Now, things have calmed down, though. The actor says he has turned a teetotaller at the behest of his doctor. Speaking about the change, he says, “This is the first time ever that I have left alcohol.” And one person made this possible is Dimple Kapadia, actress and his better half, off and on, separation, reunion et al. “Yes, Dimple is back in my family. This is the best phase of my family life, I can say. I would not like to discuss more about my family and me. Everything is fine now and I am enjoying every minute of it. My grandson is also very close to me. His antics give me immense joy.”
“I have to confess that I have never been so happy like I am today, at this moment,” says the screen legend flashing his heart-winning, million dollar smile. But talk about his retirement from the world of glitz and glamour and the Anand’s poet insists, “Rajesh Khanna has always been there. Rajesh Khanna has always been an actor and shall be one until his last breath. I am
here to stay.”
The star also gets nostalgic about the good old days: “I definitely get nostalgic about those times. I was known as the Matinee Idol. I was superstar. It was the title given to me by my fans and those who saw me perform. I was the first Indian actor to be called so. Usually this is a title that goes to Hollywood actors. I am grateful to my fans, who bestowed me with this honour. I do agree I made some mistakes. But then, to err is human. I may have been tagged as the ‘superstar’, but in reality I was an ordinary man, who had his moments of strength and weakness too.”
Talk about his not-so-successful stint in politics, and the actor says, “I have never been a whiner or a grumbler. I don’t have any qualms about my experience in politics. I have been the same, and so as a new entrant in politics I tried to adjust myself with the scenario. I had my principles when I was a superstar, which I followed even when I entered politics. I wanted to serve my country and my people. It’s sad that things didn’t turn out as I wanted them to be.”
But Rajesh Khanna, the fighter that he was, never let disappointment get the better of him and made a comeback into films with roles suiting his age.
You see, says the star, “Filmmakers of my time had stopped making films. But I was surprised to see a new generation of filmmakers approaching me, Still offering me a role. I was encouraged by their eagerness and acknowledged some good roles, which I thought would be the right kinds to mark my second innings in the industry.”
That too, however, proved to be a short-lived dream and soon the first Indian superstar disappeared into oblivion, making brief appearances as and when he desired. But, even in his absence, Rajesh Khanna has kept himself abreast with the changes in his beloved industry. This becomes clear when he says, “The innovative techniques, the fresh young directors with exclusively new approach to filmmaking, the corporate world coming into films and the multiplexes have all enhanced the prestige of our films. Sooner or later, these magical changes will bring about a good feed to our audiences. Changes need to be welcomed with open arms and people are appreciating these changes. The film industry is moving forward to a brighter future.”
Yes, Rajesh Khanna is an optimist, still having his date with the good things in life – as he has always been.

Sanskriti Media & Entertainment

Published in :

http://www.asianage.com/life-and-style/dimple-back-my-family-089?nocache=1#comment-35751

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

Rajesh Khanna: The first superstar

LEGENDS

Rajesh Khanna: The first superstar



RajiV Vijayakar follows the trail of actor Rajesh Khanna the highs, the lows and everything else in between.

They are the living legends, the superstars who took Hindi cinema to towering heights long before NRI markets opened, with their mesmerising mix of looks, persona, talent and charisma. This time we look at Rajesh Khanna, labelled by the Indian media and his PR machinery as the ‘First Superstar Of Hindi Cinema’ or simply, ‘The Phenomenon’.

Born Jatin, the young orphan was adopted by a doting and wealthy couple named Khanna. And though he stayed in a lower middle-class apartment in downtown Mumbai, he became the first struggler to do the rounds of producers in his own imported MG sports car — an industry first: his foster-parents, albeit apprehensively, had allowed him to try his hand at acting.

It was somewhere in late 1966 and early 1967 that two films called Raaz and Aakhri Khat released — and flopped. The common hero was called Rajesh Khanna and the films a part of his prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.

Khanna had a rudimentary theatrical experience, and despite these flops, on the strength of his talent and that mysterious charisma, he had been signed by biggies Shakti Samanta, Raj Khosla, Asit Sen, A Subba Rao and finally B R Chopra. And so it was that when destiny engineered the back-to-back releases of these five films within the last three months of 1969.

Leading the parade was Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana, the musical sensation that clinched Khanna’s long link with the filmmaker and Sharmila Tagore, and Khosla’s Do Raaste that set off the much more successful Mumtaz-Rajesh Khanna pair.

And if Aradhana consolidated his friendship with associate music director R D Burman and Do Raaste with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, both films established the bond with Kishore Kumar and lyricist Anand Bakshi, with all of them becoming the bulwark of the star’s solidly-musical reputation.

A lot has been written and said even now about his music sense. If Laxmikant-Pyarelal and R D Burman dominated his music, Kalyanji-Anandji, S D Burman, Shankar Jaikishan and so many other composers also gave him instant but enduring chartbusters. And film-lore has it that all of this was not explained by these humongous music talents and melody-savvy filmmakers alone. Khanna would listen to a song, ruminate on it (without a physical copy with him) and would clear it only if he still recalled it easily days later!

But what stood out was the emergence of a young sensation who commanded unprecedented hysteria. If men turned wannabe Khannas and imitated his hairstyle, his guru-kurta and also his stock mannerisms, girls swooned at his sight, wrote letters in blood and went ballistic over the bent head, the crinkling of his eyes and that dreamy smile.

And perhaps the adage “It never rains but it pours” was created for Kaka, as he was affectionately named.

Through the successive hits that followed (for five years, if you ignored the occasional exceptions) Rajesh Khanna could do no wrong.

His girlfriend and early support system Anju Mahendroo was the first to get the taste of the flipside of his superstardom and the accoutrements that Khanna willingly allowed — opportunistic hangers-on, ego-boosting acolytes and a coterie that alienated true well-wishers and friends. In a shocking development, Khanna dumped her and married Dimple Bobby Kapadia weeks before the release of her debut film Bobby in 1973.

But if 1969 was the year that made the Phenomenon, 1973 proved a watershed. The marriage soon went on the rocks, and the couple split, but not before two kids, now known as Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, and endless acrimony happened. Simultaneously, rival lover-boy Rishi Kapoor arrived as Dimple’s Bobby co-star, as did the man who by his sheer force of persona and disciplined professionalism proved to be Khanna’s nemesis —
Amitabh Bachchan. Khanna’s commercial downfall came as swiftly as a thunderbolt despite his continued hits and evergreen chartbusters.

As a star he continued doling out the occasional hit all the way to the 80s, and as always never shirked from experiment. If his peak saw him take up Khamoshi, Anand, Aap Ki Kasam and Aakraman, he still dared to essay a psychopath in Red Rose, a philanderer in Dhanwan and a politician in Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtar.

The magic, however, had waned. Even a political career proved uneventful and he turned producer officially with two films that went nowhere. Khanna tried his hands playing screen father, made friends with his estranged wife and even tried acting in a tele-film and in a serial or two. He publicly admitted to the mistakes he had made in the first heady flush of stardom, but the desperation (as proved by his recent skin-flick Wafaa) and ego-centric inaccessibility remained.

But Khanna is not so much about the wrongs he did but about his awesome achievements that form a historic chapter in Indian cinema. As Mumtaz puts it, “I think no one has seen the success the guy has seen in his time.”

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

Legendary producer-director Shakti Samanta passes away

By V Manohar | 10:30 | 11/Apr/2009 |0Comment(s) |








Legendary producer-director Shakti Samanta passes away

Mumbai, April 10: Noted filmmaker Shakti Samanta, who made superhit movies for Super Star Rajesh Khanna died here on Thursday ( 09-04-2009) after a brief illness.

He was 83 and is survived by wife, two sons and two grandsons.

"He passed away at around 5 pm at his suburban Santacruz residence. He was recovering from a stroke which he suffered over two months ago," a family member told reporters.

"Samanta was discharged two weeks ago from Jaslok Hospital where he was treated for two months. He was slightly paralysed and was recovering slowly," Ashim Samanta, son of the filmmaker, told reporters.

"However, his health deteriorated today," said Ashim, also a film director.

Samanta's funeral would be held at Santacruz crematorium at 11 am on 10-4-2009, the family member said.

The Shakthi Samanta-Super Star Rajesh Khanna pair was responsible for some of Bollywood's memorable classics like Aradhana - 1969, Kati Patang - 1970, Amar Prem - 1971, Anuraag - 1972, Ajanabee - 1974, Mehbooba - 1976, Anurodh - 1977, Ayash - 1982, Awaaz - 1984, Alag Alag - 1985 & Dushman - 1990. All movies with Super Star Rajesh Khanna is super hit for ever.

'Samanta magic' with Rajesh Khanna didn't work with Bachchan


Samanta, a former president of Indian Motion Pictures Association of India (IMPAA), directed 43 feature films, including 37 Hindi and 6 Bengali films.


Shakti Samanta directed his first feature film, 'Bahu' in 1954. After the success of his next few films like 'Inspector' (1956), 'Sheroo' (1956), 'Detective' (1957), Samanta started his own film production house.

Apart from his movies, the director is remembered for introducing actress Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali , who went on to form a legendary pair with Samanta's blue-eyed boy Super Star Rajesh Khanna.

Samantha was never cheap. There is something to be said for a filmmaker who helmed movies which in many ways defined the core character of Hindi cinema in the 1960s and 70s. Apart from everything else Samantha will be remembered for creating all of Super Star Rajesh Khanna’s films Super Hit from Aradhana to Dushman which were all super hit.Quite easily one of the last giant names of that period, Samatha’s passing ought to mean a great loss for bollywood cinema.

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

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