Rajesh Khanna (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in
Hindi films. Considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of
Indian cinema
The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
, he is known as the first ''Superstar'' of
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
.
His accolades include five
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
, and in 2013, he was posthumously awarded the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
, India's third highest civilian honour.
Khanna made his debut in 1966 ''
Aakhri Khat'' which was India's first official
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
entry in 1967. In 2005, he was honoured with the
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
List of honourees
† - Indicates ...
on the
50th anniversary of the
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
. He was a
Member of Parliament in the
10th Lok Sabha from
New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency between 1992 and 1996, elected in the
1992 New Delhi by-election as an
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
candidate.
He married
Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, eight months before her debut film ''
Bobby'' was released and had two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter
Twinkle Khanna is a former actress married to actor
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
, while their younger daughter
Rinke Khanna is also a former film actress.
Khanna died on 18 July 2012, after a period of illness. He has been honoured with a stamp and statue in his likeness, and a road renamed after him by the
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
.
Early life and background
Rajesh Khanna was born on 29 December 1942, in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
in the
Punjab Province of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
,
as 'Jatin Khanna' into a
Punjabi Hindu Khatri
Khatri () is a caste system in India, caste originating from the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are war ...
family.
He was adopted and raised by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna, who were relatives of his biological parents. His father had migrated from
West Punjab to Gali Tiwarian in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
. His biological parents were Lala Hiranand Khanna and Chandrani Khanna. Lala worked as headmaster of the MC High School in
Burewala (in present-day
Vehari District,
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
). His adoptive parents belonged to a family of railway contractors who had moved from
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
to
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
in 1935.
Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas, in Thakur-dwar near
Girgaon
Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive, Mumbai, Marine Drive is located here.
History
Girgaon has a deep-rooted connection with the celebration of Ganesh Cha ...
, Mumbai.
He attended St. Sebastian's Goan High School with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name
Jeetendra
Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...
. Khanna gradually started taking an interest in theatre, did many stage and theatre plays in his school and college days, and won many prizes in inter-college drama competitions.
In 1962 Khanna played a wounded mute soldier in the play ''
Andha Yug'' and impressed with his performance; the chief guest suggested that he get into films soon.
Khanna became a rare newcomer who had his own
MG sports car, who once struggled to get work in theatre and films in the early 1960s.
Khanna did his first two years of
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
at
Nowrosjee Wadia College in
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
from 1959 to 1961. He later studied at
Kishinchand Chellaram College, Mumbai and Jeetendra studied at Siddharth Jain College. Khanna tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna's uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to enter films.
His friends and his wife called him ''Kaka'' (meaning a baby faced boy in Punjabi).
Acting career
Early works (1966–1968)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists from more than 10,000 contestants in the 1965 All India Talent Contest, organised by United Producers and Filmfare, along with other
FTII students
Subhash Ghai and
Dheeraj Kumar.
Khanna won the contest along with
Farida Jalal.
BR Chopra,
Bimal Roy,
GP Sippy,
HS Rawail,
Nasir Husain,
J.Om Prakash, Mohan Saigal,
Shakti Samanta
Shakti Samanta (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as ''Anand Ashram'' (1977), Anusandhan /''Barsaat Ki Ek Raat'' (1981), ''Anyay Abhi ...
and
Subodh Mukherji and others had created the United Producers organisation and were then judges of the contest.
He made his film debut in the 1966 film , directed by
Chetan Anand, followed by ''
Raaz'' (1967), directed by
Ravindra Dave
Ravindra Dave (16 April 1919 – 21 July 1992) was an Indian film director, producer, editor and screenwriter. He directed more than 30 Hindi Cinema, Hindi films in the 1950s and 1960s including several hits like ''Nagina'' (1951), ''Agra Road ( ...
, both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers' Talent Competition.
G.P. Sippy and
Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Khanna after he won the contest.
Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects, such as ''
Aurat'' (1967) and ''
Baharon Ke Sapne'' (1967), of which latter did break even and the former was commercially successful.
Stardom (1969–1975)
The year 1969 proved to be a game changer for Khanna and saw his rise to superstardom. It began with
Shakti Samanta
Shakti Samanta (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as ''Anand Ashram'' (1977), Anusandhan /''Barsaat Ki Ek Raat'' (1981), ''Anyay Abhi ...
's
romantic musical ''
Aradhana'' starring
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...
. The film went to become a massive blockbuster at the box office and made him an overnight sensation. Its soundtrack composed by
S. D. Burman and lyrics written by
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films.
Early life
Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...
was the third best-selling Hindi film album of the 1960s and made
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...
the leading playback singer of
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
. That same year, he starred in
Raj Khosla's
romantic family drama ''
Do Raaste'' opposite
Mumtaz. Backed up with chartbuster songs, including "Yeh Reshmi Zulfen", "Bindiya Chamkegi", "Chup Gaye Saare Nazaare", it went a step ahead and emerged an ''All Time Blockbuster'', in turn making Khanna and Mumtaz a hit pair. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the film was released in 1970. It became the first Indian film to gross £100,000 in the UK, equivalent to . Its UK box office record was broken a year later by ''
Purab Aur Paschim'', which released in the UK in 1971. The huge box office success of ''Aradhana'' and ''Do Raaste'' was followed by a superhit in
Narendra Bedi's
romantic drama
Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
''
Bandhan'' again with Mumtaz, a hit in
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the reci ...
's songless
mystery thriller ''
Ittefaq'' co-starring
Nanda, followed by another successful film, ''
Doli'' alongside
Babita to go with the major grossers. These films turned Khanna into a ''Superstar'' and marked the beginning of ''Rajesh Khanna Mania'' of the early-1970s.
He continued his domination at the box office in 1970 and 1971 with films, such as – ''
The Train'', ''
Sachaa Jhutha'', ''
Safar
Safar (), also spelt as Safer in Turkish, is the second month of the lunar Islamic calendar.
Most of the Islamic months were named according to ancient Sabean/Sabaic weather conditions; however, since the calendar is lunar, the months shift ...
'', ''
Aan Milo Sajna'', ''
Kati Patang
() is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations opposite her charming neighbour, played by R ...
'', ''
Mehboob Ki Mehndi'', ''
Anand'', ''
Andaz'', ''
Maryada'', ''
Haathi Mere Saathi'', ''
Chhoti Bahu'' and ''
Khamoshi'', eventually giving 17 consecutive successes in a span of three years, a record which remains unbroken to date. Khanna won his first
Filmfare Award for Best Actor for playing a double role in ''Sachaa Jhutha''. He won his second
Filmfare Award for Best Actor and first
BFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi) for portraying a cancer-patient in ''Anand'' which is also considered his career-best performance by many of his fans as well as critics.
Khanna began the next year with
Dulal Guha's
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film ''
Dushmun''. It opened to excellent audience response and emerged a blockbuster as well as one of the
highest-earning films of the year. ''Dushmun'' was later remade in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Telugu,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
and
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
. For portraying a rash truck driver in the film, Khanna received a nomination in the
Filmfare Award for Best Actor category. His next release, the
action drama
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
''
Apna Desh'' also performed very well at the box office and added one more superhit in his kitty. It also had some highly popular songs like "Duniya Mein Logon Ko", "Kajra Lagake Gajra Sajake", "Ro Na Kabhi Nahin Rona". In the late 1972, Khanna's amazing run came to an abrupt halt with release of Badnaam Farishte. As per the book The Most Versatile Superstar Actor of Hindi Cinema, he had 10 hits in 1972 which included ''
Shehzada'', ''
Mere Jeevan Saathi'', ''
Bawarchi'', ''
Apna Desh'', ''
Amar Prem'', ''
Joroo Ka Ghulam'', ''
Bangaru Babu'', ''
Anuraag''. However the last release ''
Maalik'' was box office flop.
Out of them,
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...
's
musical comedy drama ''Bawarchi'' is regarded as a cult classic today and was remade in many Indian languages, including
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
itself. It also won Khanna his second
BFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi). In 1973, his first release was
Sachin Bhowmick
Sachin Bhowmick (17 July 1930 – 12 April 2011) was an Indian Hindi language, Hindi Screenwriter, film writer and Film director, director. Writing was his main work and he wrote stories or screenplays for over 94 films. He is best remember ...
's
romantic drama
Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
''
Raja Rani'' in which he starred alongside his ''Aradhana'' co-star Sharmila Tagore which ended up as a commercially successful venture. Khanna then played a brief role in Samanta's ''
Anuraag'', which went on to become a blockbuster and won him
Filmfare Special Award.
[ After this, he reunited with Tagore for Yash Chopra's maiden production and sixth directional venture '' Daag: A Poem of Love'' which also had Rakhee in the lead. Inspired from ]Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...
's novel '' The Mayor of Casterbridge'', it was a major critical and commercial success, eventually emerging a blockbuster and laying the foundation of Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
History
In 19 ...
(which is the biggest production house in India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
till today). Its soundtrack composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal dominated the musical charts and was one of the best-selling Hindi film albums of the 1970s. His final release that year was the social drama film '' Namak Haraam'', which too received positive reception and proved to be a superhit at the box office. Khanna received his fifth nomination in the best actor category at the Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
for ''Daag'' and won his third BFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi) for ''Namak Haraam''. 1974 was a great year for Khanna with both critical and commercial appreciation coming his way. His first film '' Humshakal'' did not do well, but his second release '' Aap Ki Kasam'' which was also J. Om Prakash's debut as a filmmaker proved to be a superhit. All of its songs were major hits too, especially "Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jate Hain Jo Maqaam" sung by Kishore Kumar. This was followed by '' Prem Nagar'' which was a remake of Akkineni Nageswara Rao's all time Telugu hit '' Prema Nagar'' (1971). ''Prem Nagar'' like the original opened to excellent response from the audience, eventually doing more business than Khanna's last major hit ''Aap Ki Kasam'' and emerging a blockbuster. Basu Bhattacharya
Basu Bhattacharya (1934 – 19 June 1997) was an Indian film director of Bollywood, Hindi films. He is perhaps best known for his 1966 film ''Teesri Kasam'', starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman (based on the short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam ...
's art-house film '' Avishkaar'' and Shakti Samanta's crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
'' Ajanabee'' were his next two releases. Both ''Ajanabee'' and ''Avishkaar'' did reasonable business, the later again opposite Sharmila Tagore earned huge critical acclaim and won Khanna his third and final Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his subtle portrayal of a disillusioned husband. His last film of the year was Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Desai was an influential and sought-after film director of Bollywood and a pioneer of ...
's action drama
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
''Roti
Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries.
It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...
'' which released alongside another biggie '' Roti Kapada Aur Makaan'', but still went on to become a blockbuster.[ Due to its huge success, ''Roti'' was also remade in Telugu as '' Neram Nadi Kadu Akalidi'' (1976).
]
Career downfall (1976–1983)
The declaration of emergency
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
in 1975 had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption and establishment to become successes. The shift from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers changed the box office equation and saw the emergence of another rival ''Superstar'' in the form of Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
. When coincidentally some of his good films faced commercial failures, Khanna suffered a major career setback from 1976 to 1978.
In 1975, Khanna starred alongside Shashi Kapoor and Mumtaz in Raj Khosla's '' Prem Kahani'' and did a guest appearance in the war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
'' Aakraman''. The former emerged a box office hit, but his contemporaries, including Bachchan, Dharmendra
Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol (born 8 December 1935), known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer, and politician who is primarily known for his work in Hindi films. Dharmendra is widely considered one of the greatest, most h ...
and Manoj Kumar
Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Giri Goswami; 24 July 1937 – 4 April 2025) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema.
He is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful actors in t ...
had bigger hits in their kitty with '' Sholay'', '' Deewaar'', '' Pratiggya'' and ''Sanyasi
''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being '' brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprasth ...
'', which were also among the top 5 highest-grossing films of the year. The following year, he reunited with Hema Malini for Shakti Samanta's highly anticipated romantic drama '' Mehbooba'' based on Gulshan Nanda's novel ''Sisakate Saaz''. In spite of impressive performances by the lead pair and two hit songs, "Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon" and "Parbat Ke Peeche", the film ended up as average hit. This was followed by another moderate fare in Narendra Bedi's action comedy
The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
'' Maha Chor'' opposite Neetu Singh and a flop in Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most s ...
's romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
'' Bundal Baaz'' co-starring Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pandit is an Indian playback singer and former film actress working in Bollywood. She belongs to the Mewati Gharana.
Career
Sulakshana's career as an actress spanned the 1970s and early '80s. As a leading lady she has worked with most ...
.[ In 1977, Khanna's first release was again a Shakti Samanta directional '' Anurodh''. Its soundtrack composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal topped the year-end annual list of Binaca Geetmala, but commercially the film was an average runner.] His next five releases, included - Din Dayal Sharma's '' Tyaag'', Joy Mukherjee's '' Chhailla Babu'', B.R. Chopra's '' Karm'', Bhappi Sonie
Bhappi Sonie (31 July 1928 – 5 September 2001) was an Indian film director and producer, in Hindi cinema. He is best known for Shammi Kapoor and Dharmendra hit films, ''Janwar (1965 film), Janwar'' (1965) and ''Brahmachari (Hindi film), Brahma ...
's '' Chalta Purza'' and Meraj's '' Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein''. While ''Tyaag'' and ''Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein'' didn't do well, ''Chhailla Babu'', ''Karm'' and ''Chalta Purza'' proved to be decent box office successes.[ Before the end of year, he appeared in another of J. Om Prakash's directional '' Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka'', which was highly anticipated before release, but flopped commercially.][
]
Comeback, and further works as a lead (1983–1991)
The next year, he had four releases, out of which, Ramanand Sagar's romantic drama film '' Prem Bandhan'', '' Muqabla'', '' Amardeep'', proved to be a successful venture, but ''Naya Bakra'' and ''Janta Hawaldar'' were commercial failures. In 1979, Khanna appeared alongside Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
and Vinod Mehra
Vinod Mehra (13 February 1945 – 30 October 1990) was an Indian actor in Bollywood, Hindi films. He started out as a child actor in the mid 1950s before starting his film career as an adult in 1971. He acted in over 100 films from the 1970s thr ...
in the romantic drama '' Amar Deep''. The film opened to positive response from critics and emerged a hit at the box office thus ending his dry run and also proving to be one of the highest-grossing films of that year.
He began the 1980s with Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja ( born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of ...
's psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...
'' Red Rose''. A remake of blockbuster Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
film '' Sigappu Rojakkal'', the film couldn't repeat the success of original and flopped commercially. His next release was Esmayeel Shroff
Esmayeel Shroff (12 August 1950 – 26 October 2022) was an Indian film director and writer, noted for his work in the Bollywood industry. His hit film ''Thodisi Bewafaii'' was famous among the crowd of the 1980s. The movie was written by his b ...
's family drama '' Thodisi Bewafaii'' opposite Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
. It performed well at the box office and proved to be a hit with Khanna receiving his 12th nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Actor category and Kishore Kumar winning Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Hazaar Rahen Mud Ke Dekhin". His other releases of the year were - Anil Ganguly's drama film '' Aanchal'', Danny Denzongpa's horror thriller
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
'' Phir Wahi Raat'' and K. Bapaiah's romantic drama '' Bandish''. While ''Phir Wahi Raat'' and ''Bandish'' were super-hits, ''Aanchal'' was a major commercial success.[ In 1981, he co-starred alongside Raaj Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini and Priya Rajvansh in Chetan Anand's reincarnation drama '' Kudrat''.] In spite of presence of some of the biggest stars of that time and its soundtrack being one of the best-selling Hindi film albums of the 1980s, ''Kudrat'' was proved to be a superhit. Khanna's next release, '' Dard'' again with Malini and '' Dhanwan'' opposite Reena Roy were hits. His final release of the year, Shomu Mukherjee's '' Fiffty Fiffty'' co-starring Tina Munim also performed moderately well.
In 1982, Khanna starred in three big budget multi-starrers, Vijay Anand's ''Rajput
Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...
'', Umesh Mehra's '' Ashanti'', Sultan Ahmed's '' Dharam Kanta'', all three of which emerged box office successes. He also played a brief role in the superhit dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
film '' Disco Dancer''. The ''Disco Dancer'' soundtrack was popular worldwide, particularly in India, the Soviet Union, and China.[''Global Bollywood: Travels of Hindi Song and Dance'', page 88](_blank)
, University of Minnesota Press
The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018.
Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its book ...
, 2008 It went Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
in India, equivalent to 1million sales, and received a Gold Award in China. One of the song from film, "Goron Ki Na Kalon Ki" sung by Suresh Wadkar and filmed on Khanna went on to become a chartbuster.
After almost a decade of occasional success, Khanna made a notable comeback in 1983. His first release '' Nishaan'' was a semi-hit, but his second release, Mohan Kumar's '' Avtaar'' emerged a blockbuster & was among the highest-grossing films of the year.[ Khanna received his 14th and final nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Actor category for ''Avtaar''. His next release was Saawan Kumar Tak's romantic drama '' Souten'' co-starring Tina Munim and Padmini Kolhapure. It was the first Hindi film ever to be shot in ]Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
and had a chartbuster soundtrack composed by Usha Khanna with songs "Shayad Meri Shaadi Ka Khayal" and "Zindagi Pyaar Ka Geet Hai" topping the musical charts that year. The film went on to become a superhit and also one of the best-selling Hindi film albums of the 1980s. Khanna completed his hat-trick with another hit in Lekh Tandon
Lekh Tandon (13 February 1929 – 15 October 2017) was an Indian filmmaker and actor. He had directed numerous Bollywood movies and Indian TV Serials. He gained national fame due to success of his directorial ventures Professor (1962 film), Pri ...
's '' Agar Tum Na Hote''. With three back-to-back hits in 1983, he proved that audience still adored him. His good run continued in 1984 with a huge hit in K. Bapaiah's action comedy film '' Maqsad'', which also had Jeetendra
Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...
, Jaya Prada and Sridevi in the lead, followed by two more successes in '' Naya Kadam'' and ''Dharm Aur Qanoon
''Dharm Aur Qanoon'' (transl. ''Religion and Law'') is a 1984 crime thriller film starring Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra, Asha Parekh, Jaya Prada, Supriya Pathak, Danny Denzongpa, Om Shivpuri, Iftekhar, Manmohan Krishna in pivo ...
''.
Khanna followed it up with more hit films to his credit namely '' Insaaf Main Karoonga'', '' Aakhir Kyon?'', '' Durgaa'', '' Masterji'', '' Babu'', '' Zamana'', '' Bewafai'' in year 1985. He did face failures with ''Alag Alag'', ''Oonche Log'', ''Awara Baap'', ''Anokha Rishta'' however bounced back with successful films like '' Adhikar'', '' Nazrana'', '' Nasihat'', ''Amrit
Amrit (), the classical antiquity, classical Marathus (, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenicians, Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat (, ) was the northernmost important city of ancient Ph ...
'', '' Shatru'', '' Angaaray'', '' Awam''. In 1988 he was part of the successful horror film '' Woh Phir Aayegi'' and had another hit venture with '' Ghar Ka Chiraag'', Paap Ka Ant in the following year. In 1990, he starred in David Dhawan
David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Bollywood, Hindi films. A member of the List of Hindi film clans#Dhawan family, Dhawan family, he has directed over #Filmography, 42 films. The 1993 action thriller an ...
's drama film '' Swarg''. An adaptation of Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...
and Sunil Dutt starrer '' Mehrban'' (1967), it went on to become a hit and established Dhawan's career as a director. ''Swarg'' also proved to be the last major success of Khanna in the year 1990. In 1991, Khanna had three releases – '' Begunaah'', '' Rupaye Dus Karod'' and '' Ghar Parivar'', all of which did well commercially.
Sabbatical, work in television and later career (1992–2012)
He quit acting for sometime in 1992, to focus on his political career. From 1992 to 1998, he had only two releases - '' Khudai'' (1994), which was a film released directly in Zee TV and the much delayed '' Sautela Bhai'' (1996), which became an average hit in 1996. In 1999, Khanna appeared in Rishi Kapoor's directional debut '' Aa Ab Laut Chalen''. Despite being hugely hyped before its release, the film received negative reviews from critics and ended up as a below average grosser. He acted in TV serial Ittefaq for Zee TV which was popular in the year 2001.
In the 2000s, he tried to make a comeback with films, such as '' Pyaar Zindagi Hai'' (2001), '' Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa'' (2002), '' Wafa: A Deadly Love Story'' (2008), but none of them were commercially successful. Khanna's final film appearance was in Ashok Tyagi's much delayed action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
'' Riyasat'', which released after his death in 2014. It was panned by critics across the board and was a box office flop.
Khanna appeared in a rare interview in the show '' Aap Ki Adalat'' in 1992, where he quoted to the interviewer Rajat Sharma, "I would just ask if I am arrogant, how come all these producers made so many films with me. My fans who turned this actor into a superstar would have never accepted me if I was arrogant. If I was arrogant people would not have made me a Lok Sabha member because if someone is arrogant, that arrogance is visible. And this public knows everything and understand everything".
Khanna was a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television. He was Faculty Guest of "Specialised Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies". On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
as a tribute to R. D. Burman. In 2001 and 2002, Khanna played the lead in two television serials: ''Aapne Parai'' (B4U and DD Metro) and ''Ittefaq'' (Zee TV). He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment. He also endorsed ''Star se Superstar tak'' – a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, ''K for Kishore'' aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with Creative Eye Banner, (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a TV serial, ''Bhabhima'', with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial '' Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi'' began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009. Khanna cited the lack of good roles for actors like him in films as the reason for him not appearing much in films after 2001. He said in an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials: "The reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film". In May 2012, Havells, the fan making company endorsed Khanna as Brand Ambassador for their new ad campaign featuring him in solo advertisements.
Inspirations and influence
Khanna considered Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt (born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone; 9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964; also known as Gurudatta Padukone) was an Indian film actor, director, producer, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998 ...
, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali to be his idols. Khanna said in an interview: "My inspirations include Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most s ...
's rhythm." In an interview given to The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
in 2011, Khanna specially mentioned Mahanayak Uttam Kumar, the greatest actor of Bengali cinema, as his idol. In that interview, Khanna also claimed that Uttam Kumar was the greatest living actor of his time.
Political and business career
At the insistence of Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...
, Khanna started campaigning for Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
after 1984. In the election for New Delhi seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha election, Khanna lost to L.K. Advani by a narrow margin of 1589 votes, after which Khanna stood on the grounds at the counting station insisting that he had been cheated of a win. In 1992, a by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
was called after the resignation of the incumbent Member of Parliament L.K. Advani. Khanna contested the seat again, won the by-election by defeating Shatrughan Sinha by 25,000 votes. Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
, from the New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until 1996 after which he was not interested in active politics. When Khanna was MP, he did not accept new acting assignments, but only acted in the film ''Khudai'' (1994). After leaving parliament, he was a political activist for the INC and campaigned for the party till the 2012 Punjab election.
Khanna and a group of foreign investors bought land in Shirdi, on which he built a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba.
Personal life
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru. They were in a relationship for seven years before breaking up. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the break-up.
Later Khanna – 30 at that time – married the budding actress Dimple Kapadia who was then 16 years old, in March 1973, before Kapadia's debut film '' Bobby'' released in September that year. Khanna and Kapadia have two daughters from the marriage; Twinkle
Twinkle may refer to:
* Twinkling, the variation of brightness of distant objects
People
* Twinkle (singer) (1948–2015), born Lynn Annette Ripley, English singer-songwriter
* Twinkle Bajpai, Indian singer, television and film actress
* Twinkl ...
and Rinke. The couple separated in 1982, but never divorced. Their relationship later became more amicable and they both were seen together at functions. Kapadia also campaigned for Khanna's election and worked in his film ''Jai Shiv Shankar'' (1990), although the film never got released.
In the 1984s, Tina Munim fell in love with Khanna. She had been a fan of Khanna since her school days. They appeared in ten films together between 1981 and 1986. According to website ''Bollywood Mantra'', Khanna refused the marriage proposal of Tina, as he was sure that Dimple would comeback in his life and he did not want to marry her as their marriage would have a bad impact on his daughters.
Khanna's elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
, while his younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress, is married to London-based investment banker Samir Saran.
Artistry, image and legacy
Khanna is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. Khanna is noted for his acting, style, musicals and dance. One of the most successful and highest-paid actors of 1970s and 1980s, Khanna appeared in ''Box Office India
Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry.
Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...
''s "Top Actors" list six times from 1969 to 1974. He topped the list three times (1969–1971). In 2022, he was placed in ''Outlook India
''Outlook'' is a weekly general interest English and Hindi news magazine published in India.
History and profile
''Outlook'' was first issued in October 1995 with Vinod Mehta as the editor in chief. It is owned by the Rajan Raheja Group. Th ...
''s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list. Khanna was placed ninth among the "Greatest Bollywood Stars" in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema in 2013. Khanna has the record for the most films as the solo lead hero in Hindi films – 106. '' Rediff.com'' placed him 8th in its "Top 10 Bollywood Actors of All Time" list. Khanna was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by ''CNN-News18
CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the ...
''. In 1973, ''BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'' made a documentary on him, named ''Bombay Superstar'' as a part of the series, '' Man Alive''.[Raghavendra, Nandini (19 July 2012]
Rajesh Khanna defined superstardom, yet 'Brand Kaka' was hardly leveraged
''The Economic Times'' A textbook prescribed by the Mumbai University contained an essay, "The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!"
Khanna acted alongside Mumtaz in ten films. She stated "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates." During the peak of his career, he would be mobbed during public appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in their blood. Actor Mehmood parodied him in '' Bombay to Goa'' where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna' respectively. A scene of ''Amar Prem'', to be shot at Howrah Bridge, was cancelled due to his popularity. Film critic Monojit Lahiri said: "Girls married themselves to photographs of Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. He was God, there has never been such hysteria."
Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...
in the 1970s were based on Khanna. In the 1970s, his chemistry with Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...
, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman, Tanuja and Hema Malini were popular with the audience. Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...
, with whom he made the best onscreen pairing, said in an interview to ''The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' that "women came out in droves to see ''Kaka''. They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse. He needed police protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this before or since." Music remained one of the biggest attractions of his career. Khanna used to personally sit in music sessions with music directors and used to be personally present for recording of songs picturised on him. Khanna's on-screen pairings with Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
, Smita Patil, Tina Munim, Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon was also popular in the 80s.
The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...
and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including ''Kati Patang
() is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations opposite her charming neighbour, played by R ...
'', '' Amar Prem'', '' Shehzada'', '' Apna Desh'', '' Mere Jeevan Saathi'', , '' Aap Ki Kasam'', , , '' Karm'', '' Phir Wohi Raat'', '' Aanchal'', '' Kudrat'', '' Ashanti'', '' Agar Tum Na Hote'', '' Awaaz'', '' Hum Dono'' and '' Alag Alag''.
Kamal Haasan
Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
was a close friend of Khanna. Kamal in an interview, narrated his experience of Khanna's stardom, in an incident in 1985 – "He probably hadn't been to a public theatre since he became a star. When we reached, things were okay. He enjoyed the film ('' The Swarm'') and refused to leave until the end titles. That's when I panicked. This was Rajesh Khanna, the star of the millennium. All hell broke loose as audiences realised he was there, his shirt was torn, but he was enjoying himself thoroughly. He giggled and chuckled like a child." Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
idolised Khanna and has opined; "Rajesh Khanna, you can't touch". Anupam Kher said "Kishore Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman, Rajesh Khanna and Smita Patil changed the face of Indian cinema. They're remembered by the films that they did." Actor Tom Alter
Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Born in Mussoorie ...
confessed "I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero – romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real – he was my hero; the reason I came into films and he still is." Actor Irrfan Khan stated in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality." The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belts on shirts became famous because of Khanna. Actor Salman Khan has stated: "I, Shahrukh or Aamir have not even achieved 10% of what Khanna had in acting or his stardom."
Filmography
Illness and death
In June 2012, it was reported that Khanna's health had been deteriorating for some time. On 23 June he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
due to health complications. He was discharged on 8 July from the hospital and was reportedly fine.
On 14 July, Khanna was readmitted to the Lilavati Hospital, but was discharged on 16 July. He died on 18 July 2012, at his bungalow, Aashirwad, in Mumbai. Sources confirmed that his health had been deteriorating since July 2011 as he was diagnosed with cancer. After his death his co-star Mumtaz said that he was suffering from cancer for the duration of the prior year and had undergone chemotherapy sessions. His funeral took place on 19 July at 11:00. His funeral ceremony was attended by 9 lakh (900,000) people and his fans came from places like Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
, Vadodara
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
, Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
and other countries. Police had to resort to a lathi-charge to control the crowd of fans who had gathered for the procession from his Bandra house to the crematorium. He died in the presence of his wife Dimple Kapadia, daughters Rinke Khanna and Twinkle Khanna, son-in-law Akshay Kumar, grandchildren, Anju Mahendru and other close relatives. His pyre was lit by his grandson, Aarav, with the assistance of Akshay Kumar.
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
cited that Rajesh Khanna's last words were "Time is up, Pack up". In a pre-recorded message to his family, friends and fans that was played on his "chautha", he thanked and saluted his friends and fans for the love they showered on him and also shared how he became a successful actor without having any godfather behind him. On 25 July 2012, his ashes were immersed in the Ganges
The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...
at Rishikesh
Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...
, Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...
by his wife Dimple Kapadia and daughter Rinke Khanna.
Honors and tributes
The President of India
The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
, Pratibha Patil, lamented the passing away of the actor. In a press release she said "I am saddened to learn about the passing away of Rajesh Khanna. In his prime as an actor he was the heartthrob of the young generation of 1970s, who tried to model themselves on him and his style." Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...
and Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
who used to be Chief Minister of Gujarat mourned his death. Many celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
, Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
, Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
, Karan Johar
Karan Yash Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful ac ...
, Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
, Rishi Kapoor and many politicians also paid homage to him after his death. Other celebrities who paid homage to him at his house after his death included Manoj Kumar
Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Giri Goswami; 24 July 1937 – 4 April 2025) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema.
He is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful actors in t ...
, Asha Parekh, Ranjeet
Ranjeet (born as Gopal Bedi; 12 September 1942) is an Indian actor and film director.
He has mostly played villain roles in over 200 Hindi films.
He has also played a positive character in the TV series '' Aisa Des Hai Mera''.
He has also ...
, Jeetendra
Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...
, Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter and actor who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
, Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the reci ...
, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...
, Dharmendra
Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol (born 8 December 1935), known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer, and politician who is primarily known for his work in Hindi films. Dharmendra is widely considered one of the greatest, most h ...
, Vinod Khanna, Asrani, Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years.
Life and education
Chopra, the third of six children of Ranveerlal and Rooprani Chopra, a Punjabi Hindu family, was ...
, Govinda, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
, Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
, Hema Malini, Himesh Reshammiya, Ram Kapoor, Mahesh Thakur
Mahesh Thakur is an Indian actor who has played roles in many films, TV serials and web series. He has authored a book titled I-Quotes which was published in early 2021 by Popular Prakashan. Filmography
Films
Television
Bibliography ...
, Aadesh Shrivastava
Aadesh Shrivastava (4 September 1964 – 5 September 2015) was a music composer and playback singer who worked in Indian films. Initially, he had worked as a drummer to music composers including R. D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan before working indepe ...
and Sajid Khan. His prayer meeting, organised in a grand way at the Taj Land's End hotel in Bandra, Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
on 21 July 2012, was attended by many, including Reena Roy, Padmini Kolhapure, Neelam, Jaya Prada, Amar Singh, Bindu, Poonam Dhillon, Neetu Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan
Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician.
She is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party ...
, Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
, Kiran Rao, Ranbir Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborthy, Shakti Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Parmeshwar Godrej, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), known by his screen name Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model from Mumbai, Maharashtra, who primarily works in the Hindi film industry. In a career spanning over four decades, he ...
.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
reacted by saying: "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 you made us feel how love could change it all. RIP ". Mumtaz also added that she had memories of having worked with him and said that she had been crying the whole morning, but was happy that she had met the ailing Rajesh Khanna in Mumbai in June 2012, when the two discussed their respective battles with cancer. While Shahid Kapoor quoted: "RIP to the First King of Romance ... Rajesh Khanna." Subhash Ghai added that Khanna " was the powerhouse of the Hindi film industry. I met him on the set of Aradhana, he had some kind of energy and you will be charged when he is around you. His name will be written in golden words." Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
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* With a cinemati ...
was quoted as saying: "The word 'Superstar' was invented for him, and for me it shall ever remain his, and no others .. !! His generation and the generations that follow, shall never be able to describe, or understand his phenomena .. !!".
His son-in-law Akshay Kumar
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
said, "you are a father, a Legend & a very treasured man, who will never be forgotten."
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
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
for some film shoot, the college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was going to his studio." 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." Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen ( ; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was a Bengali film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, and a few Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu language films. Regarded as on ...
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."
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." There were also reactions from the ''Gali Tiwaria'' where his ancestral house was, and had since been converted to a temple through his donation. Songs from his movies were played as the news of his death became known. His foster brother Muni Chand Khanna said that "he used to love to play Cricket when he lived here. He was a simple boy when he lived here and led a simple life even after achieving so much." As were the residents of Burewala, Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta said Khanna's acting would continue to inspire young actors in the future. "He was a great actor and was the first superstar. He was a much bigger star than Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
. His acting will continue to inspire young actors of the coming generations." Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh (; 31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for h ...
said: "In the film 'Anand', he delivered some of Indian cinema's most memorable dialogues. The use of the word 'Babu Moshai' by Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
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* With a cinemati ...
, 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
Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym and exonym, endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divi ...
for the rest of the countrymen. "In a dhoti and kurta, you showed the rest of India how truly elegant Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
was" Madhur Bhandarkar said, "The epitome of superstardom is no more amongst us. There was none, there is none and there won't be any like you, Kakaji."
Additionally, those within the political spectrum that offered their condolences included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...
, who said that he "convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna." INC President Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi (, ; ; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a big-tent liberal political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. ...
also expressed her sorrow. Regional political leaders who offered their condolences included Chief Minister of West Bengal
The chief minister of West Bengal (IAST: Paścim Baṅgēr Mukhya Mantrī) is the '' de facto'' head of the executive branch of the Government of West Bengal, the subnational authority of the Indian state of West Bengal. The chief minister is ...
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...
, 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."
Condolences also came from Pakistan where Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (born 26 December 1950) is a Punjabis, Punjabi Pakistani politician, businessman and agriculturist who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from June 2012 to March 2013 and as the Speake ...
called Khanna a "great actor whose contribution to the field of films and arts would be long remembered. e had alarge 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
Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi.
It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...
'' also aired a nearly hour-long tribute with contributions from actors, filmmakers and musicians.
A postage stamp featuring Khanna was released by the India Post
The Department of Posts, d/b/a India Post, is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, public sector postal system statutory body headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is an organisation under the Ministry of Communications (India), Minist ...
on 3 May 2013. On his first death anniversary, a bronze statue of Khanna was unveiled at Bollywood Walk of Fame at Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. A chowk (intersection) in Girgaon
Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive, Mumbai, Marine Drive is located here.
History
Girgaon has a deep-rooted connection with the celebration of Ganesh Cha ...
has been named "Superstar Rajesh Khanna Chowk" in his memory. In 2014, his biography '' Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar'' by Yasser Usman was published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
. In 2022, his biography ''Rajesh Khanna The Most Versatile Superstar Actor of Hindi Cinema'' by Narayanan Subramanian was released. In 2018, a one kilometre fitness trail in Lajpat Nagar National Park was named after Khanna, which was inaugurated by his wife Dimple Kapadia.
Accolades
Khanna won seven All-India Critics Association (AICA) Best Actor Awards, and received 10 nominations. He won four Best Actor Awards in the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, and received 25 nominations. He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards, one Filmfare Special Guest Actor Award in 1973, and received a Filmfare Special Award in 1991, after 25 years in the Hindi film industry. He received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
List of honourees
† - Indicates ...
at the 50th anniversary Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
ceremony in 2005. He also received the IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khanna, Rajesh
1942 births
2012 deaths
20th-century Indian singers
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award winners
Bollywood playback singers
Film producers from Punjab, India
Filmfare Awards winners
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Hill Grange High School alumni
India MPs 1991–1996
Indian actor-politicians
Indian male film actors
Indian male playback singers
Indian male singers
Indian male soap opera actors
Indian male television actors
Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India
Lok Sabha members from Delhi
Male actors from Amritsar
Male actors from Mumbai
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Politicians from Amritsar
Punjabi Hindus
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Singers from Punjab, India