Way back in 1967, a bunch of final year engineering students decided one Sunday afternoon to watch a movie. There was nothing unusual about it. Getting out of the campus to watch a movie was the best recreation possible.

Apart from a handful of avid movie goers, most in the group were rather reluctant. The hero was new and his earlier film was a flop.  There was no pre-release hype; the director’s was not a big name. However, the heroine did generate some interest. She was Babita Shivdasani, a first cousin of Sadhana, the goddess of the tinsel world of Hindi movies.

Oh yes, the film was “Raaz” or “The Mystery”.  As there was nothing better to do, we all jumped on our bikes and made bee line to the theatre where the movie was running. Unlike the normal Sunday experience, the theatre was rather empty and finding comfortable seats (with ceiling fans in the proximity, a/c’s were a luxury those days). Well, the movie was average, the heroine pretty and it was a reasonably satisfactory entertainment.

 Rajesh Khanna in Raaz

However, there was something particular about the hero that did not escape our attention. His performance was measured, soft and under-played, a bit unusual those days. In short, he had a refreshing presence on scrren. After a bit of deliberations while sipping masala tea from earthen cups outside the theatre, we were anonymous that this hero would go far.

The hero, Rajesh Khanna was discovered through a talent hunt contest organized by Filmfare, a popular movie magazine and United Producers Association.  He was the winner among more than ten thousand contestants. Born Jatin Khanna, his name was changed to suit the glamour of the film industry. His first film, “Akhri Khat” flopped. Hardly anyone remembers this film any more. His career actually took off from “Raaz”.

Soon he became a phenomenon. The title “Superstar” was coined for him. He churned out consecutive fifteen super hit films, a feat unparalleled till date.  By then, I was a young professional and became an ardent fan of the superstar. The most memorable one probably was Kati Patang, which had Asha Parekh as a deglamourized heroine.  Soon after, Rajesh Khanna was in a deglamourized role himself in Anand. A film hero without a heroine was unthinkable those days. As expected, many established actors declined this role offered by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.  The stupendous success of the film must have frustrated those actors later. It was reported by the section of the press that a serious illness of Raj Kapoor inspired Hrishikesh Mukherjee to conceive the film. According to people close to both personalities Raj Kapoor  always referred to Hrishikesh as “Babumoshai”.

There is also another story involving Kishore Kumar. He was one of the established actors of the day to have been offered the role of Anand. When Hrishikesh Mukherjee reached his house to discuss the script and the songs, the security guard, unable to recognize the great film director, chased him away. The outraged director decided not to work with Kishor Kumar ever again. He even insisted on having Mukesh sing for the film instead of the maverick singer. Salil Chaoudhury, the music director relented and the rest is history. Who would ever forget, “kahin door jab din dhal jaye” or “maine tere liye hi saat rang-ke sapne chune” rendered so beautifully by Mukesh. Rajesh Khanna bagged the Best Actor award for this role in 1971.

Rajesh Khanna loved glamour. Unlike many other successful actors in India, he came from a well do family. His biological father was a school teacher. Early in his life, he was adopted by an aunt and had the best of education and upbringing. He was known to have driven a MG sports car to the studio for his first ever shoot.

Though he was romantically linked with Anju  Mahendru for many years, he sprang a big surprise by marrying Dimple Kapadia, the sensational young heroine of Raj Kapoor’s Bobby.  Many interpret this as a step to boost his career which was on the wane. However, his career never picked up to the dizzy heights ever again.

His downfall was as fast as his rise was. His chose wrong movies, became a prisoner of his once adored mannerism and resorted to theatrical excesses incompatible with the silver screen. A quality he was known to have lost during his heady days was humility. His friends deserted him and so did the producers. His wife left him and soon he became a recluse. Many years later, when he appeared on stage to receive a life time achievement award from Amitabh Bachchan, his fans were shocked to see a frail and sickly star delivering an unimpressive acceptance speech.

Rajesh Khanna at the sunset hours

He knew he will not be under the limelight ever again. Showman that he was, he probably wrote his last script to regain the lost glory of the yester years. The world came back to his door once again when the flower clad vehicle came out of Ashirwad  for his final journey.

Did anyone notice a mischievous smile?

I did.