Rajesh Khanna was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. Called “the first superstar of Hindi cinema”, he starred in a record 15 solo hero hits consecutively between 1969 and 1971. He was the highest-paid actor in Hindi cinema in the 1970s and 1980s. His accolades include four BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards, and in 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour.
Khanna made his debut in 1966 in Aakhri Khat, which was India’s first official Oscar entry in 1967. In 2005, he was honored with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th anniversary of the Filmfare Awards. He was a Member of Parliament in the 10th Lok Sabha from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency between 1992 and 1996, elected as an Indian National Congress candidate in the 1992 New Delhi by-election. He married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, eight months before the release of his debut film Bobby, and they had two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is an actress, married to actor Akshay Kumar, while they also have a younger daughter, Rinke Khanna.
Khanna died on 18 July 2012 after a prolonged illness. He has been honored with a postage stamp and statue in his likeness, and a street has been renamed after him by the Prime Minister of India. In 2014, his biography Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar by Yasser Usman was published by Penguin Books. In 2022, his biography “Rajesh Khanna the Most Versatile Superstar Actor of Hindi Cinema” written by Narayanan Subramaniam was released. In 2018, a one kilometer fitness trail in Lajpat Nagar National Park was named after Khanna, inaugurated by his wife Dimple Kapadia.
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. Khanna’s sudden stardom and her insistence that Mahendru give up her acting career eventually led to the end of their relationship. Mahendru says that after the break-up, both did not talk to each other for 17 years. Khanna later married debutant actress Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, before Kapadia’s debut film Bobby was released in September that year.
Khanna and Kapadia have two daughters from the marriage; Twinkle and Rinke. Khanna and Kapadia separated in 1982, but never completed the divorce proceedings. According to Yasser Osman’s biography of Khanna, the couple separated because Kapadia wanted to return to acting. She gave up acting when she married Khanna as Khanna wanted his partner to be a housewife.
After a few years of marriage, Kapadia decided to restart her career. However, Khanna was adamant that his wife would not work. Kapadia eventually left Khanna and started her career in films. Tina Munim was in love with Rajesh Khanna in the 1980s. Munim was a fan of Rajesh since his school days. They appeared in ten films together between 1981 and 1986.
According to a reporter from the website Bollywood Mantra, Khanna refused to marry her because their marriage would have a bad effect on his daughters. Khanna and Kapadia however maintained a cordial relationship where they were both seen together at parties and family functions. Kapadia also campaigned for Khanna’s election and acted in his film Jai Shiv Shankar, although the film was never released. After Tina Munim’s exit, Khanna resumed his friendship with Anju Mahendru.
Khanna’s elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar, while her younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress, is married to London-based investment banker Sameer Saran. Has happened. On 17 July 2012, a woman named Anita Advani claimed that she was Khanna’s live-in partner, and sent a legal notice to her family members for compensation. The family denied the claims.
His closest friends from the industry included Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Mumtaz, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Kishore Kumar, R.D. Burman, Anand Bakshi, Sharmila Tagore, D. Rama Naidu, Prem Chopra, Manoj Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Jeetendra. He also maintained cordial relations with Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman, Dev Anand, Yash Chopra, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Rishi Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan. In his later years, he became friends with Amitabh Bachchan, who was billed as his main rival in the 1970s and 1980s.
Superstar Rajesh Khanna was an adopted child. He was adopted by Chunni Lal Khanna, a relative of his biological father, who was very wealthy. Rajesh Khana and Jitendra went to St. Sebastian’s Village High School together. Also, Rajesh Khana helped Jitendra in acting for his first audition. Rajesh Khanna owned an MG sports car in the early 60s and used to ride it to auditions during his struggle.
His father also bought MG Magnite Mark IV, MG Midget sports car and MG MGA Roadster 1600 model which he used to drive. Rajesh Khanna’s father was against him becoming an actor, yet he participated in a talent contest organized by Filmfare, which he won among 10,000 participants. His first film ‘Aakhri Khat’ was nominated for an Oscar and went to the final five.
Rajesh Khanna wanted to marry Anju Mahendru, who was in a relationship with him for 7 years. But she was not ready for marriage so both of them separated. Interestingly, when Rajesh Khanna was getting married to Dimple Kapadia, he passed through the same street in which Anju Mahendru lived on his way to the wedding venue. Rajesh Khanna played double role in 12 films. Raj, Aradhana, Dharma and Kannan, Nature, True liar, Lookalike, Both of us, High people, Mehbooba, Bhola Bhala, Dard and Mahachor.
