What does Bollywood do best? They take a group of well-meaning people with their own individual problems and hang-ups and complicated backgrounds. Then they arrange these people in a strategic way so that their otherwise benign traits begin to clash. Some of them end up fighting with each other. Some get wounded by the ones they love. And in the middle of the mess there’s always a stoic character, one who’s been put in a terrible situation but still — on the basis of her good nature and fortitude — manages to make the best out of the awful things that have happened.

Somehow, Bollywood does this very well, even in the worst movies. “Agar Tum Na Hote” isn’t a great film…it’s cheap and manipulative, and when it comes to maneuvering the characters into doing those awful, inevitable things it occasionally screws up. But with this in mind it stirred up my inky-black emotions and got me crying, thanks to the heart-breaking finesse of the plot, the strength of the principal actors, and a wonderful score by R. D. Burman (ouch, that haunting Hame Aur Jeene Ki…!)

The movie is, in a nutshell, the story of a businessman named Ashok Mehra who — through his refusal to deal with the death of his wife — turns his daughter into a tiny, deluded nutcase. There are some global, established childrearing do’s and don’ts in this world, and you don’t need to be Dr. Spock to understand them all. I’d like to outline one of Ashok’s childrearing mistake in the hopes that it will be a valuable lesson to widowers everywhere:

Please, when mummy dies, DON’T tell your daughters that mummy’s “coming back.” Now, I know it’s hard for people to deal with the death of a loved one, especially when that loved one is Rekha. It’s PARTICULARLY hard to explain death to a small child, and as the child gets older phrases like “she’s in a better place” or “she’s visiting auntie in Lahore” just don’t cut it anymore. Still…Ashok…WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?

After lying to his daughter about this issue for eight years it’s no surprise to anyone when the unbelievably cute Mini turns into a biting, kicking, piano-abusing feral girl much like the Wild Child of Aveyron. I’m sure Ashok didn’t do this on purpose — he loved his wife an awful lot, and maybe spending those years telling his daughter that mummy was coming back was some sort of useful therapy for him. In other aspects of his life Ashok is really quite a sweet, normal man (so normal, in fact, that he does what every other Indian man does when his wife goes into labour: he sticks a big picture of an ugly caucasian baby on the wall. Seriously, this is an ongoing thing in Bollywood, I’m not making it up).

As an aside I would also like to point out that Ashok has got a “woodsy wall-mural” in his office, a strange trait shared with most Bollywood businessmen (as first pointed out by BollyMike…we didn’t believe him then, but we believe him now). I’ve always associated these murals with basement dens and rumpus rooms…you know, the ones with no windows or airflow, requiring a “fake view” to keep you from feeling claustrophobic (which is fine until the mural gets coated with nicotine from trapped cigarette smoke). If anything, the “simulated forest view” in Ashok’s inner sanctum shows his painfully human side: it reinforces that people have flaws, such as bad taste.

His wife’s death is just the beginning of Ashok’s trials, and the “Agar Tum Na Hote” writers must be commended for finding new ways to torture him. Without additional complications he would have ended up a morose, somewhat disconnected young businessman, screwing poor people out of their money and jet-setting around the world trying to find a governess who’ll put up with his daughter. Yes, the movie might have ended that way, and that would be bad enough. But Ashok’s big mistake — the one that starts all the complications moving — is launching a line of cosmetics.

As he tells his executives, “Our promotion must be the best! The Best!“ And he’s not kidding. He hires the handsome, devil-may-care photographer Raj Bedi to create a series of advertisements for him, and even allows him to find his own model. A few days later, while taking pictures of driftwood, Raj spots a woman named Radha frolicking with a horse on the beach and he decides she’d be perfect. Can you see this coming? Do I need to tell you that Radha looks exactly like Ashok’s late wife? Would it help if I mentioned that both women are played by Rekha? It’s obvious that somebody is going to end up heartbroken in the end, and it won’t be the horse.

Speaking of animals, Raj has a slimy sidekick named Chandu (played by a man who, amazingly, found time to play EXACTLY THE SAME CHARACTER in Himmatwala, which was also released in 1983). He’s sort of a satyr-like reincarnation of Pan, adding to the plot by gleefully manipulating others for his own selfish reasons. Amazingly, he’s the closest thing this movie comes to a villain — nobody pulls a gun on anyone in “Agar Tum Na Hote,” nobody kidnaps children or sells adulterated food to poor villagers at exorbitant prices. There’s just poor, self-absorbed Chandu, all alone in his uncomfortably tight trousers, making everybody else’s life miserable.

But not everything Chandu does is destructive. During their first photo session together he so flusters Radha that she almost gets blown up in an explosion…but is saved by Raj, just in time. Thanks to this misadventure (and possibly because Raj pounced on top of her to protect her from falling rocks) the two fall in love and get married. But in a Chandni-esque turn of events Raj is paralyzed when he falls from the roof of a factory, and in order to pay for his treatment (and keep his plutonium-powered thermos filled) Radha is forced to get a job as a governess for Mini, Ashok’s wild-child daughter. And since the position is only open to unmarried women, Radha hides her Mangalsutra…leading the amazed and delighted Ashok to think she’s single. Round and round it goes, the vast, karmic wheel of Bollywood plotlines…

After Radha saves Mini from a hit and run by two mentally-handicapped men in a speeding car (it looks like the passenger is trying force-feed the driver alcohol, but it’s difficult to be sure and even more difficult to understand), things begin to get very complicated indeed. Ashok is so smitten with Radha that he’s begun fantasizing about her being a puppet, which is a bad sign but results in the film’s stand-out dance sequence: Rekha doing a charming, playful marionette impersonation…the only chance she really gets to let loose and have fun. And she doesn’t have much time for fun, since her bedridden husband hates Ashok (in fact, he holds Ashok responsible for his injuries and misfortunes), and the lovably evil Chandu is just waiting for a chance to tell Raj who his wife is really working for…

From this point on there aren’t many chuckles or light moments in the movie. Except for a few forced situations (Ashok’s treatment of his daughter in particular) the filmmakers just let things move towards their obvious conclusion, and the message — as always in these sorts of films — seems to be “my goodness, isn’t life a struggle, but aren’t there some wonderful things about living as well?” The positive life force in this movie is incarnated in the ridiculously cute, absolutely charming Mina, who can laugh and cry more convincingly than most adults in Western films (and certainly more convincingly than their child-actor counterparts). She’s an adorable little girl, even when acting bratty and putting amphibians in Rekha’s purse, and this means a lot coming from somebody who was glad when Newt died in Aliens 3. Rekha herself plays the sober, wary, devoted and stoic Radha to the hilt; she needs to give a strong portrayal because the events of the story hinge on her and her decisions. And Rajesh Khanna — whose acting I normally find wooden and a bit annoying — is excellent as well, particularly when he needs to be strong for his daughter’s sake but finds himself unable to do so.

Looking back, I’m having a surprisingly hard time remembering the details about the film. Maybe it’s because I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind, or maybe it’s because I’d previously seen a version without subtitles and got my impressions mixed up. But I think it’s really because the movie — for all it’s logistical flaws and sloppy execution — made an emotional impact that overpowered the nit-picky particulars. That might not be the ideal impression to make, but I think it’s what the filmmakers were really going for: making the audience cry without worrying exactly why. This, at the very least, they accomplished.

Beautifully reviewed by in :

http://dangermuff.com/bollybob/ragar.html

Pritish Nandy

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Mumbai:

Dinesh Raheja sees the legendary side of the yesteryear superstar

I HAVE never liked anybody’s work or persona (not even my own) so consistently that I became a fan. I have loved performances more than performers. However, there was a phase in the 1970s, when I was in my impressionable years, a pan-cultural phenomenon called Rajesh Khanna swept the film industry; and all roads led to cinema houses showing Khanna’s films.

The word superstar became common usage thanks to him. Amitabh had once reminisced about his early days: “I became famous purely because I was working with Rajesh Khanna in Anand. People asked me questions like ‘How does he look?’ ‘What does he do?’”

It is Rajesh Khanna’s birthday this year on December 29 (he shares it with his daughter Twinkle, albeit they were born 31 years apart). And it’s distressing to see that in the 66th year of his life, the star has been gifted with brickbats rather than bouquets for the lurid love scenes in his latest release, Wafaa.

He may be down for the count currently; but I choose to remember Khanna as the Bollywood ishtyle film-star nonpareil in Shakti Samanta’s Amar Prem (intoning “Pushpa, I hate tears”) or Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand (laughing at death with a twinkle in his eyes and booming ‘Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin’).

In 1969, two non air-conditioned theatres, Roxy and Opera House, which were a stone’s throw from each other, were showing two runaway Rajesh Khanna hits Aradhana and Do Raaste. The former paired him with the stylish and sexy Sharmila, while Do Raaste co-starred the pug-nosed phuljadi, Mumtaz.

My elder brother Gopal would woo his girlfriend, whom he eventually married, by playing the romantic anthem of the day, ‘Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu’ so loudly in our eighth-floor balcony she could hear it in her second-floor balcony in the opposite building. One of the high points of my grandmom’s life was Rajesh Khanna touching her feet to seek blessings at his friend Raj Bathija’s sister’s wedding.

Years later, Khanna encapsulated this phase beautifully. “I always thought of myself as an actor … somewhere along the way I became a superstar. Super success is mind-blowing. It psyches you totally.”

For some years, the only name that ricocheted from every corner of the nation, was Rajesh Khanna. Whether he was balancing his glares on the tip of his nose and crinkling his eyes or wearing broad belts over left-untucked shirts, he was the trendsetter.

By the mid-’70s, however, Khanna’s scrunchy-eyed mannerisms began to seem cheesy (he did an average of six films a year) and his career ran out of steam his directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Ramesh Sippy, Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra swerved towards Amitabh (even old faithful Shakti Aradhana Samanta was pulled into Amitabh’s magnetic circle with The Great Gambler); and a new superstar was born.

In 1990, after almost two decades of steering clear of each other, Amitabh and Rajesh Khanna came together for a cover story for Movie magazine, of which I was the editor.

At the appointed hour, the two showed up within minutes of each other; but the air was frosty and not because of the air conditioning at the suburban five star. An unusually accommodating Rajesh Khanna willingly dressed in the bathroom, leaving the room to Amitabh’s disposal. The French wine I ordered spontaneously, paid rich dividends. Soon, an astonishing bonhomie developed and the two legendary superstars, much publicised as cut-throat rivals, sat across a table and analysed their life and times and even heaped each other with praise.

This was not the first time I had met Rajesh Khanna but since it was my most memorable meeting, I have compromised on chronology. My first meeting with Khanna was at the shooting of Aaj Ka MLA. During a party held after the day’s shooting at Chennai, I was imitating Kakaji’s favourite dance steps and crinkling eyes act for my fellow scribes, and when I came a full circle, Khanna was standing right in front of me. Time and I, both, froze.

Later, we broke the ice when we shared the ‘tiffin’ (the tiffin in a Chennai studio is meant for one but can feed a family). When he chose to use it, Khanna had charm and could have anyone eating out of his palms.

Of course I also got to see, and hear about, the famous bad moods of the superstar. After he had renewed his creds with Avtaar and Souten, I was on the sets of Brij’s Oonche Log in the mid 1980s to interview Khanna. Salma Agha got a take right after 18 attempts and plonked into her chair, exhausted. Till Khanna said, “one take for me”, leaving Salma stupefied. Sadhana, Khanna’s heroine in Dil Daulat Aur Duniya, recounted how “Kakaji never wished me good morning or good bye during the shooting.”

But with the passage of time, I prefer to push these memories under the carpet and remember the mellow Khanna who was a charming host. At one of his parties in the 1990s, ex-girlfriend Anju Mahendru, was the charming hostess while separated wife Dimple, played the relaxed guest. I was impressed by the way he had maintained a cordial relationship with his ex-girlfriend and ex-wife.

I would like to airbrush out the Wafaas and Woh Phir Aayegis of recent times and remember Rajesh Khanna for making my teen years so much fun at those art-deco sanctuaries we now dismiss as single-screen theatres. For introducing me to the jumbos in Haathi Mere Saathi; for holding me at the edge-of-my-seat in the songless thriller, Ittefaq.

For livening up such adventure fare as Sachha Jhootha (he makes Mumtaz take a truth serum, would you believe). For making my spirits soar when he rode a bike while crooning, ‘Zindagi ek safar hai suhana’ with a scarf-sporting Hema as the pillion rider; and for bringing a lump to my throat by locating the never-say-die spirit of terminally ill patients in Safar and Anand.

Khanna is no longer in the rat race today; but he was the Marathon Man.

The Bumper Year
10 superstars from Kaka’s days who have benefited from multiple hits in a single year

Rajesh Khanna 1970
Khanna was the box office behemoth for five years after breaking through with two blockbusters Aradhana and Do Raaste released in the last two months of 1969. In 1970, he consolidated his position with a further string of successes The Train, Sachha Jhootha, Safar, Kati Patang and Aan Milo Sajna.

Dharmendra 1973
Jugnu was a smash hit. But this Jat had an appetite for more in 1973; Kahani Kismet Ki, Loafer and Yaadon Ki Baraat also broke the bank.

Amitabh Bachchan 1978
Amitabh has had multiple successes several times from 1973 (Zanjeer, Abhiman, Namak Haram) to 2005 (Sarkar, Bunty Aur Babli, Waqt and, arguably, Black). But 1978 was an exceptional year. He was the star of three clear blockbusters Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Don and Trishul released within a span of six months! Crowds also thronged to see him in Kasme Vaade and Ganga Ki Saugandh in this annum mirabilis.

Vinod Khanna 1977
Vinod had a hat-trick with his hit jugalbandi alongside Amitabh in Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish and Khoon Pasina that year. But he proved he was also a star on his own steam with Inkar and Hatyara.

Jeetendra 1983
He was on the vanguard of the 1983 southern invasion with three thumping ceetee-evokers Himmatwala, Justice Chowdhary and Mawaali. The films may have earned ‘pans’ from the critics but they made ‘pots’ of money.

Salman Khan 1999
In 1999, Salman was a brash philanderer in Biwi No 1, shyly domesticated in Hum Saath Saath Hain, brittle and romantic in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and a crowd pleaser in all three.

Aamir Khan 2006
Stars these days do fewer films than earlier actors; even a couple of megasuccesses pack a one-two knock-out punch. Though the impact of Aamir’s two benchmark films from 2001, Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai (a qualified success), was seismic, Aamir enjoyed huge grosses in 2006 with Rang De Basanti and Fanaa.

Hrithik Roshan 2006
Hrithik has not had even a single film releasing in some years (2005, 2007), so for him to have a two-pronged successful appearance in 2006 (Krissh, Dhoom 2) was a big deal.

Akshay Kumar 2007
After years of being on the fringes of the A-list, Akshay burst into prominence in the new millennium. And his rapidly ascending career imitated a space shuttle in 2007 with four winners Welcome, Namastey London, Heyy Baby and Bhool Bhulaiya.

Shah Rukh Khan 2007
Shah Rukh has had a couple of hits on several occasions 1993 (Darr, Baazigar) 1995 (Karan Arjun, DDLJ), 1997 (Dil To Pagal Hai, Pardes), 2004 (Main Hoon Na, Veer Zaara), but an escalating business atmosphere and the huge grosses for Chak De India and Om Shanti Om in 2007 saw him cutting a wide swath.

Reviewed by :

http://www.mid-day.com/specials/2008/dec/281208-Rajesh-Khanna-legendary-yesteryear-superstar-Akshay-Kumar-Twinkle-Khanna-Dimple-Kapadia.htm

Rajesh Khanna is busy with the planning of a grand multi-crore multiplex resort built on hundreds of acres of land in Shirdi with foreign investors.

In the process
Talking about his project Khanna says, “Right now, I don’t want to talk too much about the plans but yes, we are in the process of building a huge multi-crore, one-of-its-kind resort in Shirdi. We have bought the land but waiting for the foreign investors who will here in January and we will finalise everything then.”

No biz with family
Khanna adds, “My concept is fantastic and has never been seen before in a religious place in India. The resort is one and half km away from the temple in Shirdi and not on the outskirts. We are building two multiplexes too in the resort there especially for children who accompany their parents for puja or darshan. There will be lots of free facilities too like transport, etc.” Khanna, had recently gone to Shirdi during Diwali for his bhoomi pujan.

He adds enthusiastically. I have been a disciple of Sai Baba for many years and have been going there every time he calls to bless me.” The resort is in partnership with some partners in India because it’s too big for the actor to handle by himself. He clarifies that his son-in-law Akshay Kumar and daughters Twinkle and Rinke are not involved in the project? “No they are not involved. I don’t do business with my family.”

Last laughs?
When asked about his entry in BB3, Khanna laughs aloud, “No comment! I am not saying anything but I will have the last laugh on this.” When asked about the rumours that his damaad Akshay paid him to stay away from the reality show, he turns suddenly serious and says, “Why don’t you ask him this? I can’t say anything more.”

Reviewed by :

http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/oct/261009-rajesh-khanna-shirdi-resort.htm

Compassionate filmmaker

The unsung feminist Shakti Samanta

Back in 1940s, there was a man from Burdwan busy moulding the minds of young Muslim boys at a suburban school in Mumbai. He taught there for barely a year but such was the impact he had on the young minds that some 60 years later when he breathed his last on April 9 this year, some of his students, now themselves greyed and retired, could not help shedding a tear of sorrow in dignified remembrance.

Shakti Samanta had earned it. Even as he stoked the fire of ambition in his students, he realised he had to chase a secret little dream of his own.

Having already had to say goodbye to a career in the Air Force because his mother wouldn't let him fly, (she had lost her pilot husband when her son was merely two) Shakti Samanta was destined to fly higher than a pilot, navigate his own course with skill and acumen.

Back then it might have been sacrilegious for anybody from a decent family background to voice the idea of entering tinsel town. But Shakti da bade his time, then showed the world what he was capable of. A journey that started with "Bahu", and continued with films like "Howrah Bridge", "Anuraag", "An Evening in Paris", "Aradhana", "Mehbooba", "Amar Prem" and Amanush", among others, conveyed the joy of destination. He was prolific without being profligate; he came up with quality in great quantity. In a directorial career of around four decades, he had 43 films to his credit, and a vast majority were box office successes.

A retrospective

The Directorate of Film Festivals in New Delhi recently organised a Shakti Samanta retrospective, showing films like "Amar Prem", "Howrah Bridge", "Kati Patang" and "Amanush", in the presence of the legendary filmmaker's son, Ashim Samanta, himself a director of note.

Hailing from an era when the medium was clearly demarcated on the lines of socially-responsible cinema, and the other offering only entertainment, Shakti da brought all the traditional mores and values to the canvas of emerging India. And added a dash of ardour, shades of romanticism, with everlasting melody. The result? A string of films that the young could enjoy, and the seniors pick subtle messages from.

In "Amar Prem" he showed the society's double standards towards women it abhors as those of easy virtue, while hailing men who frequent them as 'sahibs'. In "Kati Patang" he talked of a widow's plight without being judgemental. In "Aradhana", he focussed on ambition wedded to emotion: the film had stark similarity to the difficult choice his own mother had to make when Shakti da wanted to pursue a career in the Air Force after his father's death.

(Top to bottom) Stills from Kashmir Ki Kali, Kati Patang, Amar Prem and Amanush

In "Amanush", he did not allow himself to slip into abysmal pathos, and didn't compromise on the profundity of the subject. Such was Shakti da's hold over the medium that almost all his films had a dash of melancholy without being steeped in sorrow, many of his women characters appeared weak on surface but had the innate strength of courage and conviction.

And then of course, there was his famous ear for music. Songs as varied as "Aaiye Meherbaan" from "Howrah Bridge" where Asha Bhonsle ventured into Geeta Dutt's territory or S.D. Burman's "Kahe ko roye" in "Aradhana" or "Chingari koi bhadke" from "Amar Prem" or the eternal romantics' anthem "Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegi tu" and "Ishaaro ishaaron", came out with a beguiling regularity.

Recalls Shakti da's son Ashim, "Dad always told me to remember that the story should have a lot of emotion, with good screenplay and good music. He assured me that with this formula you won't go wrong."

Indeed, Shakti da seldom did, except in the odd case of "Naughty Boy" or much later "Alag Alag" or "Awaaz".

A feminist

Though he worked with Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, Shakti da was a feminist without shouting from the rooftops. Just sample the roles of his heroines in films like "Amar Prem", "Aradhana", etc. "Yes, his women had a strong role. In fact during the making of both 'Amar Prem' and 'Aradhana' Rajesh Khanna was initially unhappy with his role and smiled only after seeing the finished product."

Ashim adds, "Dad never compromised on quality yet worked at a brisk pace. 'Amar Prem' was made over six months only. He did not look at the commercial angle of the story, just the scope in it to appeal to people. He treated songs as a scene in his films, they had to take the story forward, not give people a little break. He made films as per the requirements of the story, not the cast."

And the only time Shakti da changed the script to suit the star, the result was forgettable. The film was "Awaaz", which was initially written with Dilip Kumar in the title role with Anil Kapoor in it too.

Once "Avatar" became a hit, Rajesh Khanna persuaded Shakti da to work with him again. "Once dad signed Rajesh Khanna, Anil Kapoor went out as did Meenakshi (Seshadri). Dilip Sahab could not do the film. So the script had to be redone. The original one went for a toss."

Well, that failing was merely a reiteration that Shakti da was human too. His films were a reflection of our times. He showed what we wanted to see. And also what we needed to see. Truly an unforgettable genius, for whom one must recall a song from one of his own hits "Pagla Kahika" ? "Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge".

Honour for Kaka

Even after four decades, no actor has been able to match the appeal of
Rajesh Khanna in his heyday, writes M.L. Dhawan

THE charisma of Rajesh Khanna, who was recently honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at IIFA, in China lies in the fact that he imbued majesty to mediocrity. His ordinary physique, average looks and non-heroic visage brought to fore the loveable boy-next-door.

Rajesh Khanna's claim to greatness lies in the strength of his performance in limited number of films.

While actors spend years and do films before that one elusive hit that launches them to stardom, in case of Rajesh Khanna success came in only with his fourth film ? Aradhana (1969). As Arun driving an open-jeep, serenading Vandana (Sharmila Tagore) to the strains of 'Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegee tu…' through the winding routes of a hill train in Darjeeling, he became an instant favourite. Also in the film, Rajesh Khanna made pre-marital sex permissible for the first time on the screen in an age of conventions and conformism. Aradhana catapulted him to glory and made him the first superstar of the Bollywood. His Do Raaste was released within weeks of Aradhana and he was established as a major star with both the films celebrating a silver jubilee. After this, there was no looking back for Khanna who became a phenomenon.

In Anand(1970), Rajesh Khanna delivered a stunning performance in the role of Anand, a cancer patient who smiled and laughed in the face of death and surrendered to it cheerfully. Rarely has a fictional character affected the viewers so much as Anand. At the end of the film, a tape recorder plays Anand's last message. Such was the impact Khanna made through the film that his voice alone evokes the power of his presence now gone. Khanna demonstrated his sensitivity as an actor with a touching performance as a mental patient in Khamoshi. In Amar Prem, he brought to life an existential dilemma in a way seldom seen on the screen. He lent a raw vulnerability to the role of a suspected killer on the run from a mental home in Itefaq.

The loquacious lover of Aradhana and Andaz, who swept the heroine off her feet with his charm and simplicity, acquired a serious countenance in Aap Ki Kasam and Safar. In Aap Ki Kasam, it was a marriage soured by suspicion. Khanna slipped into the soul of the character so unobtrusively that the audience felt it was a chunk from his real life.

In Dushman(1971), Khanna played a truck driver, who accidentally kills a man. Sentenced to look after the family that had lost its sole breadwinner, he tracks the real villains. Khanna put his heart and soul into the role.

He is compelling to watch as Sonu in Namak Haram (1973). He gave an intelligent and understated performance of a thoughtful man looking for a deeper meaning in life. Vikram (Amitabh Bachchan) played a capitalist while Sonu, who plays a worker, is his friend. A crisis in Vikram's life forces them to enact new roles that lead to a conflict in their ideology. In the given situation, Sonu prefers death to disloyalty and betrayal. Khanna's portrayal of a man who faces crisis of conscience was mind-boggling. Film critics had no benchmarks against which to measure the magnitude of Khanna's success, and the kind of adulation that came his way.

The hysteria he created with his crinkling eyes and lily-white smile drove fans into raptures. More than four decades after Aradhana and many other blockbusters, there has never been anyone to rival the appeal of Rajesh Khanna in his heyday.

Link from:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090614/spectrum/main6.htm

“Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body” - Rajesh Khanna

By Devansh Patel, June 8, 2009 - 18:19 IST

They say that if there was ever a superstar in the Indian Film Industry, it had to be Rajesh Khanna. There may be romantic leading men and icons in Bollywood but there is and will be only one superstar for his ability to take cinematic love to legendary heights. Why couldn’t anybody replace him? Why since four long decades ‘Kakaji’s’ superstar status is still not passed on? Because he had the biggest and the maddest fan following, especially his female fans. They would write love letters to him soaked in blood. They would kiss his car and faint. They wouldn’t marry anybody in their life for they dedicated their life to Rajesh Khanna. His fashion and style statement was evident in all the colleges across India. Such was the impact of a man who, with the rigorous use of his voice to communicate a character’s lines like ‘Pushpa…I hate tears’ and ‘Babumushai…zindagi jo hain woh badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi‘ express emotions, which he achieved through attention to diction and commitment to his character. UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama’s London correspondent met the real and the reel superstar who, with his trademark smile and pose, delivered those famous lines from his film Anand and in the ten minutes which we were given, spoke in length about his IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award, how the word ‘Kakaji’ was born, his superstar status, his film Anand which inspired the country, his first love and first super hit Aradhana, his one liner to describe Kishore Kumar and Bollywood’s next superstar, his grandson Aarav.

Congratulations on your Lifetime Achievement Award you’ve received at this years IIFA Macau.
Thank you so much. But this is not my first Lifetime Achievement Award. I’ve already got a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement when the black lady turned into gold. Then I was presented one during the Stardust Awards too. IIFA is a different feeling all together. IIFA is a very prestigious award and is no less than an Oscar. IIFA is a heritage of participating to highlight the culture of India to the various countries of the world. This is also the first time I’m attending all the three days of the IIFA Weekend and I’m really looking forward to it.

The entire world knows you as ‘Kakaji’. Please tell us how the word ‘Kaka’ became so synonymous with Rajesh Khanna?
That’s interesting. ‘Kaka’ in Punjabi means a small little baby. When I came into films, I was called ‘Kaka’ because I was young and small and with a bit of respect they added ‘Ji’. That’s how the world famous ‘Kakaji’ was born.

‘Kaka’ in Punjabi means a small little baby. When I came into films, I was called ‘Kaka’ because I was young and small

I would also like to thank my co-stars who’ve made me become an actor, then a star and then a superstar

When people are on the verge of a near collapse and some who don’t have much time to spend with their loved ones, all advice to watch Rajesh Khanna’s Anand.
How did you come to know this? You’re right. Even today, people advice to watch Anand simply because it was a path breaking film which had a path breaking dialogue, “Hum toh is rang manch ki katputliya hain aur hum sab ki dor upar wale ke haath mein hain. Kaun kya kab yeh koi nahin jaanta. Isliye babumushai…hey babumushai, zindagi jo hain woh badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin honi chahiye. Itna pyaar zyaada accha nahin hain“. People cried a lot during this final scene of the film because somewhere it touched their sentiments. Anand also gave them an inspiration and a reason to live.

Let’s talk about your first big super hit Aradhana.
Aradhana was the first stepping stone towards my success. After that film, I never had to look back. For that, my tribute goes to my favourite Late Mr. Shakti Samant. I’ve worked with him in lots of films. He gave me lot of encouragement, lot of affection and never made me feel that Aradhana was my first super hit. Not many know but I was working with yet another superstar heroine Sharmila Tagore in Aradhana. At that time she was more famous than I was and did not give me the complex that I was a newcomer. She is one of the most beautiful and sophisticated ladies I’ve ever seen. Aradhana will always be my first love.

During Aradhana, Sharmila was more famous than I was and did not give me the complex that I was a newcomer

I did tell him to work in films that have a purpose and stop working in films like the Khiladi series

By Vickey Lalwani

Posted On Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 02:18:28 AM

Rajesh Khanna • Why did you convert your house (Aashirwad) into a museum? My daughters Twinkle and Rinke wanted it that way. They said, ‘This house is a monument, this is the house where the first superstar was born’. But it’s too early to say how it will be done. • It’s said that Akshay Kumar bailed you out from your tax problems and will now take over Aashirwad? Are you mad? Do you believe such stuff? Hamare mein beti ko dete hain, lete nahin hai. God has been very kind to me. • Apparently, you sold some property to solve your tax problems. That’s rubbish. • How much time do you get with your family? Akshay is busy shooting. Twinkle is also busy with her interior decoration work. Rinke is settled in London. Whatever little time they give me, I enjoy it. • You are doing television (Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi) now. Is it taxing? Yes. But you get tired only if you are not enjoying your work. Besides, people have told me that I am doing a very good job. • Why didn’t you persist with acting after your comeback with Avtaar? Haan, craze aa gaya tha. But then, Rajiv Gandhi took me to New Delhi • Your recent choice of films, which included the controversial Wafaa, didn’t do well Today, you need good packaging and publicity before a film’s release. They weren’t big producers and hence couldn’t dish out big promos. But I stand by those films. Frankly, cinema has changed a lot recently. But I am getting a lot of offers now. In fact, I have even signed a couple of new films. Frankly, I am feeling very much at home. • Do controversies ruffle you? Like recently, there was a furor over your kissing scene with Saara Khan in Wafaa? I make the rules of my game and I break them. Any noise that is made against me doesn’t affect me. The character demanded those scenes. They were not vulgar; just very romantic and passionate. • Why didn’t you marry again? We (Dimple and me) may not be staying under the same roof but we do interact a lot. We still care for and love each other, but the affection is of a different kind. I am even friendly with Anjoo Mahendroo (with whom he was for seven years) and then there was one more person in my life (read Tina Munim). • Are you in touch with Tina? I talk to Tina and her husband Anil when I meet them at parties. They are made for each other. • Don’t you miss female company? I am alone, not lonely. Zindagi badi khoobsoorat hai, bus jeene ka tareeka aana chahiye. • Everyone has his share of strengths and weaknesses. What about you? I am a much better person now than what I used to be. • And how did that happen? Life teaches you. Dimple and I still care for and love each other, but the affection is of a different kind ' Rajesh Khanna

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