Twilight Of a Superstar

The recent TV images of a frail looking yesteryear's superstar Rajesh Khanna standing at the balcony of his bungalow suddenly brought to me a realisation about the passage of an era (or is it light years). The gaunt figure gave the impression that he did not age gracefully like say Amitabh Bachchan or Dharmendra. He looked much older than 69.

When I was old enough to watch movies in mid 1970s, Rajesh Khanna was losing ground to Amitabh Bachchan. Kakaji's (as he is known) romanticism suddenly went out of fashion and was soon replaced by the Bachchan's angry young man persona and Zanjeer was the trend setter.

Later on Big B's stranglehold over the box office became all encompassing. It soon became cool to be lanky and have hair long enough to cover one's ears. Don't know how exactly that hairstyle originated, but in India it became a rage, thanks to Bachchan. From taxi, auto drivers to engineering and medical students, all were painstakingly growing their tresses long enough to flow over their ears. For all other Indian actors of that era, irrespective of language, it became a basic requirement to appear cool. The clippers, a mandatory tool in the armoury of barbers, soon started losing favour among the younger clientele. It gave way to accessories like hair dryer and roller brushes.

Coming back to Rajesh Khanna, my admiration for him was more of a retrospective one. I began appreciating him only after I grew up and by then Khanna was many years away from his arc lights days. I remember watching Amar Prem as a child and found it 'boring' as there were no 'fights' or 'comedy' scenes! And, of course, I was too small to understand what terms like 'baazari aurat' actually meant! 

However, some of the lilting numbers from his movies, especially Aradhana, Kati Patang appealed to me even then. The moment I used to hear these songs from my neighbour's radio, I too used to switch ours on and try to tune in to the Vividh Bharti or Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the mainstays of Hindi music back then.

That of course was also the result of a symbiotic relationship Rajesh Khanna shared with Kishore Kumar. Both then were contemporaries and struggling to make their mark.

After the dawn of television era, I got a chance to watch the movies of his heydays on Doordarshan on Sundays and really began to appreciate them. I then realised why movies like Anand, Amar Prem were superhits. And felt his abrupt end to superstardom was quite unfortunate; though critics and film historians bemoan that success had gone into Kakaji's head. He had acquired starry airs and was dismissive of junior artists like Amitabh Bachchan. So, they felt his downfall was some sort of a poetic justice.

He had 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 and 1972 under his belt, which was quite unprecedented back then and is still considered a record. And fans (especially female ones) went to insane lengths to adore the country's most eligible bachelor (he married Dimple Kapadia only in 1973).

After that golden era, success at box office became rare and more modest. Among those lean periods I remember watching Thodi si Bewafai and later Avataar (that was ages before James Cameron's 3D offering), which were fairly successful at the box office. On the personal front too he had a rough ride. He got estranged with his wife Dimple and later on had a relationship with  Tina Munim, with whom he paired up for moderately successful Souten. She later went on to marry Reliance scion Anil Ambani.

His entry to politics virtually put an end to his film career. While going through a Wikipedia entry on him I was surprised to know that he had even acted in a couple of TV serials. Anyhow since I am not much of a serial guy, so totally missed out on all that.

Nearly a month back I saw him figure in a TV ad for Havells fan, where he points to a roomful ceiling and table fans and says these 'fans' will be with him forever. It made me cringe and wondered how Rajesh Khanna could agree for such an inane advertisement. What left me even more stunned was the fact that the ad was done by famous film maker and ad personality R Balki, who made movies like Cheeni Kum.

However coming back to the recent TV grab, it was heartening to see some young people had gathered before his house on hearing that he was indisposed. Probably DVDs, YouTube videos are keeping the movies of his heydays alive in memory of his fans. And Kakaji, please be assured that you needn't count upon lifeless ceiling and table fans for support!