RAJESH KHANNA- PUNJABI SUPERSTAR

Rajesh Khanna  pronunciation (help·info); (born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor in Hindi films, and was also a film producer and a politician. He was called as the first superstar of the Indian cinema.^[1]. He appeared in 163 feature films of which 128 films saw him as the lead protagonist; he appeared in 17 short films as well.^[2][3][4] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the most BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) – four times^[5] and nominated 25 times. In 1991, he was awarded theFilmfare Special Award for completing 25 years in the industry, appearing in a record 106 films as the single lead protagonist in a span of 25 years. In 2005, he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. Khanna was referred to^{[by whom?]} as the "First Superstar" of Hindi cinema.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performances in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq and Aradhana. He gave 35 Golden Jubilee Hits in the period 1966-1975, three more in 76-78 and 35 more in the period 1979-1991 and gave 22 silver jubilee hits in the period 1966-1991.^[11] He was known as one of the first casanovas in Indian cinema.^[12]

Rajesh Khanna died after prolong illness on 18 July, 2012.

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Khanna was an adorable person. Khanna was adopted and raised by foster parents who were relatives of his biological parents. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai and attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School there, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra, and whose mothers were friends.^[14] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of stage and theater plays in his school^[15] and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.^[16] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.^[17] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC College), Bombay (now Mumbai).^[18] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife called him Kaka (Uncle).

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[edit]Political and business career

Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Indian National Congress, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.^[102]When Khanna was MP, he did not accept new acting assignements.^[103] After leaving parliament, he was a political activist for the INC and campaigned for the party during the 2012 Punjab election.^[104]

Khanna and a group of foreign investors bought land in Shirdi on which they planned to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba .

Reactions

Following his death, Sumadhwa felt very sad; there was a quick spate of reactions from within the Bollywood fraternity. Hema Malini said that "we always thought he would come back [from the hospital]. We are in shock right now." His son-in-law Akshay Kumar told reporters about his death and added that "he has gone to a nice and heavenly place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will pray for him." Others celebrities who paid homage to him at his house included Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra and Sajid Khan.^[117] Shah Rukh Khan reacted on Twitterin writing: "To live with intention and walk to the edge. Play with abandon, choose with no regret. Smile and made us do the same. Sir, you defined our era. Whenever life felt tough u made us feel how love could change it all. RIP." Mumtaz also added that she had memories of having working with him; while Shahid Kapoor also wrote on Twitter: "RIP to the 1st king of romance...Rajesh Khanna." Subhash Ghai added that Khanna "was the powerhouse of Hindi film industry. I met him on the sets of aaradhna, he had some kind of energy and you will be charged when he is around you. His name will be written in golden words." Madhuri Dixit wrote on Twitter that "as another of Hindi cinema's giants passes, Rajesh Khanna. Our sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly." Vyjayanthimala commented that "his death is a big loss to the industry. It's my bad luck that I didn't have the chance to work with him because he came much later. I remember when he came to Chennai for some film shoot the college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was going to his studio."^[122] Manna Dey said: "He was a great actor, truly a superstar no doubt about it. I am honoured to have done playback for him. I have worked for him in several movies and actors like him are a rarity."^[123] Mrinal Sen recollected how Khanna had wanted to cast him in one of his films, but the latter could not manage due to date problems. "We had met several times. Once I had wanted to cast him in one of my films but somehow that didn't work out due to his date problems." Buddhadeb Dasgupta said Khanna's acting would continue to inspire young actors in future. "He was a great actor and was the first superstar. He was a much bigger star than Amitabh Bachchan. He was a craze when we were in school and college. His acting will continue to inspire young actors of the coming generations."^[124] Rituparno Ghoshsaid: "In the film Anand, Khanna delivered some of Indian cinema's most memorable dialogue. The use of the word babu moshai for Amitabh Bachchan, who played a Bengali doctor in the film, is so deeply etched in the minds of Indians that it has almost become a synonym for Bengalis for the rest of the countrymen. In a dhoti and kurta, you showed the rest of India how truly elegant Bengal was." Film historian S. M. M. Ausaja added: "He never acted in a Bengali cinema. But right from the late 1960s to the 70s he was the top star and worked with the top directors of his era, most of whom were Bengalis."^[125]

Additionally, those within the political spectrum that offered their condolences included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that he "convey[s] my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna." INC President Sonia Gandhi also expressed her sorrow. Regional political leaders who offered their condolences included Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee who said, "Rajesh Khanna was always a symbol of romance. His smiling face and the ability to connect with people at ease had made him popular. We lost a big pole star in the film world today", as well as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who added that "his death has caused irreparable loss to Hindi cinema."^[117]

Condolences also came from Pakistan where Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf called Khanna a "great actor whose contribution to the field of films and arts would be long remembered. (He had a) large fan following across the borders and captivated audiences with his excellent acting skills." Ali Zafar wrote on Twitter, "Rajesh Khanna - RIP. So many fond memories from his movies and songs," while Syed Noor said, "Rajesh Khanna was such a huge actor of the subcontinent that he will be remembered by the people for many years to come. The era he reigned over is unlikely to be experienced by any other actor of this subcontinent." Geo TV also aired a nearly hour-long tribute with contributions from actors, filmmakers and musicians.