Cinephiles from various eras and geographies use the term “superstar” to describe different people. The term has been used to describe many people in Indian cinema from KL Saigal, Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, NT Rama Rao, Kamal Hasan, Mohanlal, Shah Rukh Khan … the list goes on. What makes Rajesh Khanna unique is that his movie hits started in 1969 and went on till 1971-72. In those 3-4 years, Khanna appeared in about 17 films and all of them were successful.So what defines a superstar? Is it longevity and a body of work? Amitabh Bachchan has been a part of almost 200 films since 1969. Rajnikanth has done more than 175 films since 1975. Kamal Hasan has been around since 1960 and done a similar number of films. Maybe there is more.Bollywood legends are created with unforgettable songs.
Many stars are careful not to do “negative roles”. Rajesh Khanna (born Jatin Khanna) was an exception. He made love to the heroine without being married in Aradhana (1969) and even slapped a woman in Do Raaste (1969). In Aakhri Khat he has a child out of wedlock & that was in 1966. He fell in love with a widow in Kati Patang (1970). He was the first Hindi actor whose films ran to packed houses and had golden jubilee hits in non-Hindi speaking areas. So what went wrong after the dream run for Rajesh Khanna ended in 1972?Rajesh Khanna films gave us some great music. Dark Hero chooses this song that brought together RD Burman, Anand Bakshi, Kishore Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna and the magic of Shakti Samanta. The song was Chingari Koi Bhadke, a song that Anand Bakshi wrote when he saw a matchstick getting extinguished by the drop of rain.http://youtu.be/kpM0jPd6-7wGautam Chintamani’s book ‘Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna’ explores the man that Rajesh Khanna was. At the peak of his success, Kaka as he was affectionately called, surrounded himself with sycophants who would join him on his all night drinking binges and continuously praise the star who came to believe that he was God on earth. “Upar Aka, Neeche Kaka” was the reigning mood in his parties.
Rajesh Khanna was generous about spending and collecting money. He would often delay collecting his fee so that producers could release his films. Women married his photos and when he married Dimple, scores of women wore white to declare themselves widowed. He loved feeding people but would keep them waiting for hours before serving them. His coming late for shoots strained his relationship with his co-stars and producers who were forced to work late hours.BBC’s description of him as having the “charisma of Rudolph Valentino and the arrogance of Napoleon” is probably the pithiest summary of why Rajesh Khanna could not handle success. The film makers said that they “never found him honest for a single moment”. His relationship with Salim-Javed got strained when they were paid a mere Rs10,000 for Haathi Mere Saathi –a film for which Rajesh Khanna got five lakhs in 1971.Dark Star is a lovely read into the psyche of the lonely superstar who refused to reinvent himself the way Amitabh did. He refused to change his mannerisms and continued to be delusional that the fans would come back. They never did.
For four decades a man who experienced the giddy heights of stardom, had to get used to seeing Amitabh Bachchan continue to dominate the industry – a man he had treated with contempt and jibes when Rajesh Khanna was riding high. Kaka lived for four decades as a has-been. For someone who had shunned ads (except for an appearance made for Bombay Dyeing), Rajesh Khanna last appeared in an ad for Havell fans. His last lines ironically were, “Mere fans mujhse koi nahi cheen sakta” (Nobody can take my fans away from me). This line will remain the last line on celluloid of a man who spent his time waiting for his fans to shower the attention and hysteria that he generated four decades ago. Just the way he kept producers, journalists, co-stars and fans waiting for hours when he was at the peak of his fame.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0LZ3zoOksAt which point in your career do you think Rajesh Khanna should have reinvented himself? Leave your comments below.—————-Why did Rajesh Khanna become a superstarJoin me on twitter @AbhijitBhaduri
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Book Review: Dark star – the loneliness of being Rajesh Khanna
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11 responses to “Book Review: Dark star – the loneliness of being Rajesh Khanna”
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A badly written book. So many errors.Salim Javed must thank their stars that they were paid Rds.10,000 which was a big amount at that time. They were a nobody then & it is kaka who gave them a chance. But they ditched him & plumped for Amitabh.He had recommended Amitabh for anand & during the preview of Namak Haram, he admitted that amitabh will be the next superstar. This has been well documented.He refused many roles which were offered to him the 90s. So, to say that he still kept waiting for his fans for four decades is amusing, to say the least.These days, people do anything fore cheap publicity & Gautam is the latest in that list.
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Smitha – you clearly are a Kaka fan and anyone who says anything negative about him hurts, right? Hey, there can be many versions of an event. As they say there are three sides to a story. My side, your side and the facts.Thanks for reading my blog.Abhijit
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Rajesh Khanna was a natural actor. His acting skills were far superior to Amitabh. That he did not go on changing himself with the changing tastes of producers and viewers, shows his sincerity towards his art. Did he really need to “re-invent” himself? What for? People still remember him as one of the best actors of Hindi films. His best films still look and feel better than any of those trash from 90s. And people were fighting for his property even when he had not done any films in four decades. I don’t think he had anything to gain from “re-inventing” himself. And as a man? Who knows? More importantly who cares except those for whom he did mean something as a man.
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Abhijit bhadhuriThat is what I am also saying. There is my side, your side & the facts. The fact is that the book does not contain facts.U are also not aware of the facts, Hence this misleading blog.It is not a question of just writing negative, but they must be true. Kaka had many negatives, but who has not?He was called the manipulator but do you know how many films that were due to go to other actors were sabotaged by Amitabh?I have been privy to many such incidents.U have not mentioned about the success rate of his films post 1972. They are a high number. He had as many as 10 releases in 1984 & 13 releases in 1987. Producers are not fools with their money to invest in a flop start.Also, what was the need to reinvent? Amitabh had to since he became bankrupt & his house was del cared insolvent since he could not pay back the loans to Canara Bank. he used his political influence to de3lare his company as a sick company & escaped.Later, he approached Yash chopra & did Mohabattein. There was no need for kaka to approach others for roles to save his skin.Pls do not misuse the net to write whatever U feel like.Ur post abt kanmal & rahjini show how ignorant U are about tamil films. rajini became a superstar when he was wlel into his fiortys, ditto with kanmal,kaka is the only actor who became superstar when he ws just 27.
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I am totaly agree with Smitha , Rajesh Khanna was the first and only superstar of the bollywood. Actauly there was a big reason Behind his super stardom “15 movies in a list for super hit in just 500 days .Now a days actor are making just 1 or 2 movie a year .If someone is there who can make there 15 movies hit on that i will accept that yes he is better than “kaka”if not keep your mouth shut.Kis apna kahe koi is kabil nahi milta “,kise apna kahe koi is kabil nahi milta” yaha pathar toh bhut milte hai lekin DIL nahi milta
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@ Abhijit BhaduriHow dare u write a biased article against a great thespian like Rajesh Khanna !!!!An actor like him are born once in a lifetime and his achievements should be celebrated and not turn to shreds !!!!BTW why should kaka reinvent himself ???For what and for whom ????For his fans what kaka ji achieved in a short period of time during his peak is enough !!! His movies are timeless masterpieces and no one can replicate what he did in movies like Anand Amar prem Dushman Aaradhana Avtaar Aap ki Kasam Amrit Avishkaar etc …Why the NEED to compare him to Amitabh always !!!!!!Fact is Amitabh is nowhere near in the same league as kaka as an actor !!!I always find such bloggers like yourself criticising kaka and elevating Amitabh on a pedestal !!!!Seriously what is so great about Amitabh????Most of his successful movies are multistarrers ???As a solo artist he sucks !!In romantic roles he is a misfit !!!!!!!Seriously just becoz u want to be in the good books with Amitabh and his powerful friends gives u the licence to put kaka ji down !!!To me it just shows how Amitabh himself is so insecure about his own status !!!Hence the 24/7 in your face ADs blogs Facebook Twitter and media manipulation to promote himself !!!!Kaka never did anything like that !!FYI his fans never forgot him and don’t u dare write that again !!!
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Rajesh Khanna was soulful actor. His acting can not be compared. A super star…first super star didn’t have hero like attributes but what a actor he was…nobody do that. I feel connected myself when i watch his movie. Ask his fans about him. A reasearch is incomplete withou diving in the feeling his fans have.Charismatic….Yes Amitabh reinvented himself by KBC…he was lucky..also amitabh is not like kaka ..kaka was introvert. In this industry you have to have a public life also.I didn’t read his biography so can not comment on that. But research is incomplete if you can not understand / feel his fans feeling.No one like him
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Gautam Chintamani’s Dark Star is a pure biased book which is written on Rajesh Khanna but most unfortunately perhaps on paid basis praises Amitabh at every point of time. Whereas the universal truth is that Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh came at the same time say around end of 60s , first via All India Talent Hunt contest and stood a winner among 10,000 candidates and immediately established the status of Superstar in Indian cine world; and second one via source letter of Late Mrs. Gandhi, then P.M. due to his family relation etc. Throughout the career of four decades, Rajesh Khanna gave golden film of Solo hero oriented mostly and Amitabh chalu type masala film larger number of which were pure multistar films and via manipulation he got credit of such films on his own and bastard media people never pointed out on this. Merit wise Amitabh never stands in front of Rajesh Khanna in any way nor in term of historical popularity. So do not argue on this garbage book here. It is far far beyond the truth.
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mr bhaduri, why writers like you write a critical review in the name of biopic on rajesh khanna..everyone does the same thing..they only have bad things to write about rajesh khanna..and their sources are- salim javed,amitabh.jaya bhaduri,dimple’s harassment,anju mahendru’s suffering in hands of khanna..if you dont have new things or right things to write why do you write..have any of you ever had the courage and honesty to ask rajesh khanna about all this maligned things.. and why rajesh khanna had to change his style..he was a far more accomplished actor than anyone..not the typed acting of amitabh bachchan..even being a die hard rajesh khanna fan i am not going to purchase your book as i know that deep inside your heart you have only filth for rajesh khanna..
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Sir/MadamI am simply reviewing the book. The author is someone else.But thanks for sharing your views.RegardsAbhijit
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I thought this was a great article.The best analysis anyone could come up with.Thanks Abhijit.
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