Rajesh Khanna

Birthday: December 29, 1942 in Amritsar, Punjab, British India [now India]

Birth Name: Jatin Chunnilal Khanna

Height: 169 cm

Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Indian and Hindi Cinema with 74 Golden Jubilee Hits - (which includes 48 Platinum Jubilee hits and 26 Golden Jubilee Hits) & in addition had 22 Silver Jubilee Hits and 9 average hits, was born on 29 December 1942 in Amritsar, Punjab, India.Rajesh entered Hindi films in the year 1965 when he began shooting for Raaz and did 180 films - 163 feature films and 17 short films. By 2011, he held record for maximum number of films as the solo lead hero and least number of multi star cast films in Hindi Cinema. Of the 163 films - 106 were solo hero films and 22 were multi star films and 29 films had him in special effective guest appearances(though only 97 solo and 20 two hero films only released and 11 unreleased from 1966 till 2013).He ranked first and won the United Producers All India Contest held in 1965 by beating 10000 candidates and the prize of it was acting in films Akhri Khat and Raaz. He first tasted success as an actor with 3 consecutive hit films like Aakhri Khat,Raaz and Aurat.His first brush with super-stardom was when outburst from his fans forced the director to change the story of Baharaon Ke Sapne's ending from a tragic one to a happy one after 1 week of its release. Though Baharaon Ke Sapne was average in some centers it was declared flop in most places. In 1969 Rajesh Khanna achieved super-stardom with Shakti Samantha's 'Aradhana" (1969).He became the craze of the nation, and critics across India started calling him the First Superstar of both Indian Cinema (No. 1 Actor) and Hindi Films and remained so alone as the Superstar for 7 years (1969-1976) and had to share the status with Amitabh from 1977-1991 till he left films to join politics in 1991.He overtook his predecessors Dev-Dilip-Raj, Shammi Kapoor,Rajendra Kumar in terms of extreme popularity with audience and critics, quality of performances, variety of roles and films by doing quickly 47 films from 1966-75 which included 36 Golden Jubilee Hits(21 of the 36 were platinum) and 4 silver silver jubilee hits and only 7 flops in 9 years. He also made the world record of having 17 successive super-hits in 3 years from 1969-71 which included 15 consecutive solo super-hit films and 2 two hero films namely Andaz and Maryada. The main difference between him and his predecessors,successors, contemporaries was that Khanna's films ran successfully in whole of India and not just Hindi speaking areas and he did films of every genre simultaneously and has more critically acclaimed films to his credit than all other Hindi Actors of every generation. He stands out even by selection of his films as he regularly did both offbeat alternate cinema along with commercial potboiler films and had success in both.He introduced intelligent cinema to the masses with ease. Those 15 consecutive hit solo lead hero films from 1969-71 were Aradhana, Doli, Bandhan, Ittefaq, Do Raaste, Khamoshi, Safar, The Train, Kati Patang, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna, Mehboob Ki Mehendi, Choti Bahu, Anand and Haathi Mere Saathi. His next release Maalik flopped ending thereby the record.Anju Mahendru was his girl friend in 1968-1972, the then aspiring actress but they had breakup in 1972 when Anju was not ready for marriage while Khanna wanted to marry her, and Khanna married his fan Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, 8 months before Dimple's debut film Bobby released in theaters.Khanna's pairing with Mumtaz always produced much success as they had all of their 8 films together as major platinum jubilee hits.His films with Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Tanuja, Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman was a favorite with audiences too in 70's.From 1976 on-wards till 1978, he had 5 box office hits as lead hero(2 silver jubilee hits, 2 platinum hits, 1 average hit), 3 hits in guest appearances, 1 flop in guest appearance and 8 films of him as the main lead flopped unexpectedly although his performances and the film's music were praised by critics and thereby 76-78 is considered his bad phase.K.Balaji wanted to establish himself in Hindi film industry as a producer and thereby wanted to remake his Tamil film Sivaji Ganeshan starer Dheepam in Hindi. At a time when Khanna's films were not working at the box office, Khanna got this film out of the blue and went on to become a big hit. Khanna bounced back with twin success of Amardeep and Prem Bandhan then again started giving many critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including 35 Golden Jubilee Hits(includes 25 platinum) and 14 SJH starting from 1979 till 1991 and had 9 average hits from 1976-1996. In the 80's his films opposite Tina Munim, Hema Malini, Reena Roy, Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Poonam Dhillon were big hits.He produced three films and co-produced 4 films. He had total 105 box office hits(91 as lead hero and 14 in guest appearance) from 1966-1991.He left film industry in 1991 and entered politics by joining the Congress Party in 1991 and became a member of parliament. Khanna was awarded Filmfare Special award in 1991 for having starred in 101 films as the solo lead hero(92 solo film released till 1992 and includes 7 unreleased solos and Anuraag) and having done just 21 two hero films(only 19 released till 1991) but having appeared in 153 films in short span of 25 years between 1966-1991. Has won most number of All India Critics Award for Best Actor for a record 7 times and was nominated for same 10 times.He holds record for being the actor to win maximum BJFA awards for Best Actor - 4 and was nominated the most for it - 25 times.He is still adored and fondly remembered by the masses. Songs from his films adorn the lips of youth and adolescents. He was the first mega-star and has left behind a storehouse of the finest moments in film history. Hide

Salim-Javed and I had differences.They refused to give Deewar script to Yash Chopra because they wan Show more Salim-Javed and I had differences.They refused to give Deewar script to Yash Chopra because they wanted only Bachchan.So although Yash wanted me for Deewar in the lead, he had no choice. Hide

Whenever I died on screen, my mother could not watch them and she used to curse the directors for th Show more Whenever I died on screen, my mother could not watch them and she used to curse the directors for the scenes. I died in at-least 20 movies and 18 of them were super-hits and only 2 flops. Hide

[when asked in 2006,about Filmfare awards] Though I gave many award worthy performances in my career Show more [when asked in 2006,about Filmfare awards] Though I gave many award worthy performances in my career I was not nominated for Best Actor in Filmfare many times. It was surprising to see me not even getting nominations for Best Actor at Filmfare for my performances especially in Safar, Aap Ki Kasam, Roti, Prem Kahani, Mehbooba, Anurodh, Tyaag, Chakravyuha, Naukri, Redrose, Dhanwan, Kudrat, Souten, Dharm Aur Qanoon , Hum Dono, Babu. Since no Filmfare function was conducted for 2 years I lost the chance to get nominated for Anokha Rishta, Amrit and Awam. Many of my fans till date regret the fact that at none of the award functions I was nominated for Best Actor in leading role especially for Mehboob Ki Mehendi, Tyaag, Naukri, Redrose,Rajput, Agar Tum Na Hote,Dharm Aur Qanoon Infact I should have won the Filmfare Best Actor award for Amar Prem. Bharati Raja expressed his surprise when his Tamil version got many awards but received no nominations for the same film in Hindi in any of the categories. Many below average performances of actors were nominated from 1979 on wards in Filmfare and it continues to happen even now. If an actor has 3 releases in a year and gives 1 classic and gives average performance in other two, even then the same actor got nominations for both the superlative performance in the classic and average performance in a bad film.If someone attends the function today they are awarded just like that.That I think was unfair on me and my body of work.Awards are loosing value. Filmfare was unfair even on my closest friends - R.D.Burman and Kishore who should have won award for the best singer and best music director for various years between 1968 to 1986 for the films they did and instead the two were just nominated. Hide

Am not happy with the kind of Hindi movies getting nominated for prestigious award functions or beco Show more Am not happy with the kind of Hindi movies getting nominated for prestigious award functions or becoming popular especially after 1991. Some of the movies which I liked didn't become popular but are classics like Suraj Ka Sathva Goda,Rui Ka Bhoj. I like the kind of work southern heroes like Kamal Hasan,Mohanlal and Mamooty are doing since the late 80's till date. If such movies were continued to be made, I would have never chosen semi retirement since 1996. Hide

[on Zeenat] She is amazing. She is a demon for work and she has no inhibitions. If she likes you, sh Show more [on Zeenat] She is amazing. She is a demon for work and she has no inhibitions. If she likes you, she likes you. You could easily go crazy over Zeenat. She received good roles in films with me - Ajanabee, Chhaila Babu, Aashiq Hoon Baharaon Ka, Jaanwar. Hide

Tina Munim was a big fan of mine since her child hood and was very excited when she learned about sh Show more Tina Munim was a big fan of mine since her child hood and was very excited when she learned about she being part of films starring me in lead role.We worked in 11 films and of them we were romantically paired in 7 films.As a pair we had 6 box office success of the 7.After I separated from Dimple in 1984, Tina became my support system and we became close friends.She was in love with me but was not open about it till 1984. By 1986,Tina insisted on marriage but I always knew Dimple and I will get together soon as it was misunderstanding only and never wanted to make my children feel that their parents don't love each other.The moment I rejected Tina's proposal, she decided to discontinue her acting career. By 1989, Dimple and me became closer and friendly. In-fact we continue to love each-other. Thereafter I was busy with politics and Dimple with her acting career. After our children got married, Dimple and I were together. Hide

[interview in 2011]I have had a number of hits but my most memorable performances are in "Aradhana", Show more [interview in 2011]I have had a number of hits but my most memorable performances are in "Aradhana", ", "Sachaa Jhutha","Dushman", "Anand", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Amar Prem", "Bawarchi","Avishkar", "Roti","Aap Ki Kasam", "Ajanabee", "Prem Nagar", "Prem Kahani", "Naukri","Chakravyuha", "Amardeep", "Red Rose", "Kudrat", "Dhanwan", "Avtaar", "Awaaz" , "Babu", "Hum Dono" , "Amrit" and "Anokha Rishta". Other favorites include Bandhan, Ittefaq, Kati Patang, Dil Dault Duniya, Anuraag, Tyaag, Chhailla Babu, Mehbooba, Anurodh,Palkon Ki Chaon Mein, .Aanchal, Rajput, Ashanti, Souten, Awaaz, Dharm Aur Qanoon, Alag Alag, Zamana, Shatru, Awaam, Rupaye Dus Karod. Hide

[on his 100 percent success with certain heroines] Difference between my pairing with Mumtaz and oth Show more [on his 100 percent success with certain heroines] Difference between my pairing with Mumtaz and other heroines was that all the 8 films where we were paired together became platinum jubilee hits.As such I have 100% success ratio even opposite Jaya Prada with 5 hits, Rekha with 5 hits, Nanda with 3 hits, Rakhee with 3 hits, Reena Roy with 4 hits, Padmini Kolhapuri with 4 hits, Sridevi with 4 hits and Shabana Azmi with whom I had 7 successful films. But in their case some of the films I did with them were silver jubilees and few golden and few platinum jubilee hits.Moreover even with Poonam Dhillon of the 6 films I worked in - 4 were hits and 1 is unreleased and 1 was flop.Similarly with Smita Patil I had 5 hits and just one flop. Hide

The best praise I received from a film industry person was from B.R.Chopra in the year 1991, when I Show more The best praise I received from a film industry person was from B.R.Chopra in the year 1991, when I was declared as the hero to have done more solo hero films than any actor in history of Hindi Cinema within 25 years of debut.B.R.Chopra said to me, "Oh My God, your personality, your way of easily pulling of any attire and looking your best, your way of communicating with your audiences in your films, your facial expressions and your captivating smile and those charming eyes.These made you get constant lead central roles."I was on cloud nine after hearing these from him. Hide

(1990) We cannot be expected to sacrifice our lives for cinema.Its matter of our children's lives.To Show more (1990) We cannot be expected to sacrifice our lives for cinema.Its matter of our children's lives.Today my children have grown up and Dimple is working in my film Jai Shiv Shankar. Dimple and I just developed misunderstandings so were separated for 6 years. I was not against her in acting in films but since I was too busy in films as I always had minimum of 4 films a year , people brainwashed her. We never divorced each other. Though we live separately our relation is sweet and we are there for each-other through out our lives.We continue to love each-other. Hide

[on award functions in 2011 interview]In 70's & 80's there were just 3 major award functions and in Show more [on award functions in 2011 interview]In 70's & 80's there were just 3 major award functions and in Filmfare, nominations for Best Actor was restricted to 3 in early 70's and then to 5 in 80's. Today you have more than 10 award functions honoring the films of the same year so your work does not get ignored. Its good that today your good performances are recognized and praised. But the issue today is many times even an average performance or even below average by a big star gets nominated for best actor based on his past laurels and that person even wins it at times. On a positive note if you have performed well its definitely gets noticed at functions but most of the times below average performance of a big star gets nominations. In my case it was drastically opposite - where I was not even nominated for many superlative award worthy performances in Filmfare in 1970's and 1980's. Only Bengal Journalist Film Awards and All India Critics Association used to recognize some of my good performances in leading role. There have been some of my performances which never got nominated in any of the award functions. Whereas from late 70's certain other actors if they had 3 releases in year and have given 1 superlative performance and in other two year given below par or done over-acting, still they were nominated for these performances at Filmfare.I don't care about awards as my biggest award and rewards are when my fans say they loved my performance and content of the film, irrespective of its box office result. Hide

[on being asked about his bad phase 1976-78] It saddened me when the good films with great performan Show more [on being asked about his bad phase 1976-78] It saddened me when the good films with great performances by me and the whole cast, good music were flopping in the period 76-78.I remember the next day Balaji offered me Amardeep out of the blue.It gave me second lease to my career.Sohanlal Kanwar, Narinder Bedi, B.R.Chopra, Yash Chopra, Samanta, Shomu Mukherjee and many people from South India stood by me and backed me like producer D. Rama Naidu, C. Dhandayuthapani and directors like Devar, K. Bapaiah, C.V. Sridhar, K. Raghavendra Rao, A.C. Trilogchander and Narayana Rao Dasari.They kept saying commercial failure of those good films in 76-78 had nothing to do with me and I should not let negativity affect me. I am thankful for the scripts they offered me from 1979. I had 35 more Golden Jubliee hits, including 25 became platinum jubilee hits and in addition had 14 other silver jubilee hits and other 9 average hits from 1979-1996.It's important that producers of my films should make their money and get returns from my film as I believe films must be economically viable projects but what gives me satisfaction is not box office success but when fans appreciate my performances and say the film was good. Hide

Kishore Kumar deserved the best singer award for the songs he sung in films - Padosan, Kati Patang, Show more Kishore Kumar deserved the best singer award for the songs he sung in films - Padosan, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Namak Haram, Khushboo, Mehbooba, Des Pardes between 1968-1978.He was given just 8 best singer awards and was nominated at Filmfare for 27 times. Similarly R.D.Burman was ignored so long -he deserved award for best music for Padosan, Pyar Ka Mausam, Amar Prem, Yadaon Ki Baraat, Aap Ki Kasam, Devata, Ijazat but he was not even nominated for these films.Later on when R.D. was nominated for best music, he was denied the award though he deserved them as his music was the best for those respective years -take case of Caravan, Mehbooba, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Kinara,Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Jawaani and Sagar. To be frank all three of us together should have received award for best actor-singer-music director for the film Amar Prem.I myself should have got at-least nomination for best actor aware for my performances in Safar, Aap Ki Kasam, Roti, Prem Kahani, Mehbooba, Chhailla Babu, Anurodh, Tyaag, Chakravyuha, Naukri, Redrose, Prem Bandhan, Dhanwan, Kudrat, Jaanwar, Souten, Dharm Aur Qanoon , Hum Dono, Babu, Anokha Rishta, Ghar Ka Chirag, Rupaye Dus Karod .Hence awards have been unfair on the 3 of us and so I believe awards do not tell you the truth - the stature and talent of the great cannot be found through number of awards won or nominations. Hide

(2009) RD and I were on a leisure visit to Shiva temple in Kashmir. After listening to the clanging Show more (2009) RD and I were on a leisure visit to Shiva temple in Kashmir. After listening to the clanging of temple bells during the aarti, we came out and RD instantly hummed a devotional hook line with a folksy flavor. This time, he assured me that he would gift the melody to me. That vibrant duet-song was much later recorded as 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' from the movie Aap Ki Kasam. Hide

(2008 )What made me popular was my selection of films. I was one of the stars in 1966-91 who, withou Show more (2008 )What made me popular was my selection of films. I was one of the stars in 1966-91 who, without a second thought, would take up projects which other mainstream actors would think twice before accepting. If I did Aradhana, then the same year I did Ittefaq. I could do Haathi Mere Saathi,Andaz but also do Anand & Dushman.Similarly, Maalik, Bawarchi had Joru Ka Ghulam, Apna Desh. Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Tyaag had Anurodh,Chhailla Babu.If I did Redrose, the same year I had Aanchal, Bandish. For every Prem Nagar, I had Aavishkar. For every Avatar and Agar Tum Na Hote there was Souten.For every Maqsad there was Awaaz, Dharm Aur Qanoon,Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar. I have done Kati Patang, Mehbooba, Kudrat but also Namak Haram, Daag, Chakravyuha, Dhanwan, Babu, Amrit. I could do masala potboiler but at the same time balance it out with parallel films with simple stories.I always tried my hand at something completely out-of-the-box so script-writers, producers, directors were happy to want me. Hide

[2011 interview]Iam Jatin Khanna and custodian of Rajesh Khanna. I would say there cannot be another Show more [2011 interview]Iam Jatin Khanna and custodian of Rajesh Khanna. I would say there cannot be another Rajesh Khanna ever. Even today I see Rajesh Khanna is split between 3 Khans in different ways and all 3 aspects combined together is Rajesh Khanna. Salman has star aura like I have but he acquired them only after 2003 and more so after 2008 and he specializes more in action comedy genre. Sharukh does his romantic scenes and sentimental scenes like me right from 1995 but does films based on social issues very less often in his career. Aamir after 2000 does scripts of different genres like I did and does not repeat his characters but only difference is I never took much time to get into different characters of films belonging to various genres.I used to do minimum 2 films at a time through out the 25 years from 1966 to 1991 and most of the times I had 3 to 4 releases a year but even then managed to do justice to characters poles apart in different films. Notably all 3 Khans did more of romantic love stories or played college boy in the first 10 years of their career and have faced most of the times - failures if they worked in more than a film at a time or if they have more than 1 0r 2 releases in a year. I never advice Akshay on his career but I would say since 2000 he has done masala films, comedy ones, family dramas, romantic and others. Hope he achieves more success in years to come. Hide

(1990)I had no problems about my wife working.But when I married Dimple, I wanted a mother for my ch Show more (1990)I had no problems about my wife working.But when I married Dimple, I wanted a mother for my children and didn't want my children to be brought up by servants.And I had no idea of Dimple's talent as Bobby was still not released.Besides if I knew at that moment that Bobby would prove her talent I wouldn't have stooped her.To curb talent is cruel.By the time I saw Bobby our first daughter was already born.It was purely her decision backed by her own parents to stay away from acting while she raised our kids. Hide

[on what he considers his best award] I always tried my level best to do films of different genres r Show more [on what he considers his best award] I always tried my level best to do films of different genres right from 1966 till date. What you call today as cinema for common man or as art or as parallel cinema, - that I have done and its just that my presence in them made it appear as mainstream commercial film, irrespective of its subsequent box office result. That's an achievement. Films must be progressive and entertaining but should stick to ethical values. Thats the reason I did those films, at a time when low quality movies from 1979-1991 with no clear cut message for viewers. Even if a film flops in my career, when people say it deserved to be a hit and that I and my co-stars worked well in it and ultimately conclude saying that film is good, then that's the ultimate reward which gives me happiness. Hide

Anju Mahendroo and I were very true lovers and Anju's mother was very affectionate towards me. After Show more Anju Mahendroo and I were very true lovers and Anju's mother was very affectionate towards me. After I achieved super-stardom, somewhere in 1971, my mother insisted that I get married. I had female fans swooning over me and had crazy fan following. It was then that I decided to discuss about marriage with Anju. But I think destiny had some other plans due to which Anju felt its too early to marry and kept evading this topic for at-least a year and said she is not ready for it. She even started to date others just to make me jealous. This resulted in breakup. But by 1989, we had matured and moved on and became friends again.You know what, I still love my wife, Dimple. On the other hand, my ex Anju Mahendroo is one of my best friends today. Dimple, Anju and me have become closest friends.[2000 interview] Hide

(2008) All the 9 films I did as the main lead for Shakti Samanta as the director, excluding the ones Show more (2008) All the 9 films I did as the main lead for Shakti Samanta as the director, excluding the ones where I had guest role, had memorable performance from me. I believe that was possible because we had the same tastes and shared a great rapport.Same goes the case with the 4 films I did with Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Hide

[interview in 2000] There are lack of good roles for actors like me in the films being made after 20 Show more [interview in 2000] There are lack of good roles for actors like me in the films being made after 2000. I would love to do some off beat roles if I am offered. Today the reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film. I have played almost all the roles in the planet from 1966-1991 non stop till I joined full time politics in 1991. I had appeared in around 150 feature films as an actor that too with 100 films as the main solo lead hero in short span of 25 years by 1991 and did just 21 multi hero films till 1991(9 unreleased till 1991) .Satisfied that gave 91 hits as lead hero and 14 in guest appearance from 1966-1996. So just for the sake of my fans I am doing Hindi TV Serials that too yes playing the central character and not side roles. Hide

[on Mumtaz] She is complete professional as far as her work is concerned. There, she wouldn't conced Show more [on Mumtaz] She is complete professional as far as her work is concerned. There, she wouldn't concede any ground to me. On the sets, she is very outspoken, frank and loyal. We have made 8 diamond jubilee hits. She has been my luckiest co-star. The bond we share is very pure and will stand the test of times. Hide

[on versatility in 2011 interview] Versatility for me means acting in films of different genres, not Show more [on versatility in 2011 interview] Versatility for me means acting in films of different genres, not repeating same characters and doing justice to the role one plays. Though I was tagged as a romantic icon I never succumbed to that pressure. By 2011, I have appeared in 163 Indian feature films. I played the lead protagonist in 128 films and of them 106 were solo hero films and 22 were multi star films (though 11 unreleased from 128).I could have played a romantic hero for 25 years as people tend to associate my name with romance or stuck to one genre but I chose right from the start to play variety of characters and romance was just an element in my films. Hide

(2009) Once, Pancham and I were flying together to Delhi for the premiere of Baharon Ke Sapne. When Show more (2009) Once, Pancham and I were flying together to Delhi for the premiere of Baharon Ke Sapne. When the plane took off and started cruising, he started humming a catchy tune. The moment I heard it, I cajoled him to use it for one of my playback songs. Months later, we were at the sitting of Kati Patang and we just could not get the right tune for a particular song which had a waltz meter. That's when, fortunately, I could recall the same tune that RD had sung at 32,000 feet. This melody, which was instantly approved by director Shaktida Samanta, was none other than 'Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai'. Hide

Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body Kishore Kumar was my soul and I was his body

[In 2010]"I was always an actor and will always be an actor till the end. An actor always lives as a Show more [In 2010]"I was always an actor and will always be an actor till the end. An actor always lives as an actor and dies as an actor, if he is a true actor". Hide

Am really fortunate that I got author backed title lead roles through out my career. Even the 12 dou Show more Am really fortunate that I got author backed title lead roles through out my career. Even the 12 double role films I did are completely different from each other.My start in industry was unconventional - got to do double-role for a debut film, Raaz.Aradhana was my second double role and I did another 9 dual character films. Sachcha Jhuta was about same looking men but one a criminal and other an innocent, Dard had me on one end as a helpless convict and other end had me play a young lawyer, Dharam Aur Kanoon was about father and son with different ideologies and Hum Dono was a laughter riot. Remember much before it became a trend to have the hero play double role in formula based films, Sachcha Jhuta was made. I never really had to succumb to pressure of doing meaningless formula based multi star films, the few I did had excellent parts for me.Had brief double role in Humshakal, Mahachor and Oonche Log and had excellent diverse double role in Mehbooba, Bhola Bhala and Kudrat too. Hide

[ In 1990]"When everyone casts stones, the temptation to come out with the truth in all its glory is Show more [ In 1990]"When everyone casts stones, the temptation to come out with the truth in all its glory is great. But ultimately, it serves no purpose, because your greatest pain becomes a source of ridicule. So I would rather be crucified than speak". Hide

[In January 2012] "I am living like a real king now. I have nothing to worry about what the world sa Show more [In January 2012] "I am living like a real king now. I have nothing to worry about what the world says or want me to do. I can do all the things I could never do when I was the superstar. I am totally at peace now. Yes, I remember the past at times but I know it gives me both a blend of pleasure and pain. I want peace, I want to live as the king and emperor of my own free world which is my kingdom now". Hide

(January 28,2012) When I was Congress MP from Delhi, I worked full time as a politician.I have been Show more (January 28,2012) When I was Congress MP from Delhi, I worked full time as a politician.I have been campaigning for Congress since 1984 till date. It was Rajiv Gandhi who had invited me back in 80's for my suggestions. I have always stood by the party.Lot of speculations were made when I declined Congress high command's offer in 2009 to contest elections from Amritsar.It was solely because of health reasons.I would never like to ditch my own people with hollow promises like other politicians. I am of the opinion that when you are not able to serve the masses then don't make fake promises to them since these are the sins. Hide

[on asked how flop affects him] Its plain bad luck that sweet films, completely different from each- Show more [on asked how flop affects him] Its plain bad luck that sweet films, completely different from each-other like Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Tyaag, Bundalbaaz, Naukri, Chakravyuha, Mehbooba had to be unsuccessful at the box office.All of them were good films but that time period (1976-78) was such that multi star films and masala ones were doing more well and not those films with different story ideas.I had 5 box office hits as lead hero ,3 hits in guest appearances and 9 box office flops which include 7 critically acclaimed in the period 76-78 in Hindi.I was not personally affected by it.I had reached a stage where hits flops did not affect me personally or my career. Had already shown my versatility within the period 1966-1975.I anyways from 1979-1996 had 35 more Golden Jubliee hits, of which 25 became platinum jubilee hits and in addition had 14 silver jubilee hits and 9 average hits. I always wished that my producers and distributors should get sufficient returns to run their houses. But what gives me immense satisfaction is when irrespective of box office result of that film during its release, when people watch it later-on and say - This film was really nice, it had a great message and I acted well. Hide

(2008) As I got so much affection from fans and people across the world, it was my responsibility to Show more (2008) As I got so much affection from fans and people across the world, it was my responsibility to quality work. I was accepted in all the roles I essayed - romance, action, emotions, drama, comedy. Any genre I did I ensured there was proper message send across and it should not be that my films are just entertaining alone but reflect reality as well without being too preachy. These days people resort to use of abuse, vulgar scenes or use titillating tittles to make their films run. Even on my bad days I never resorted to such tactics. Hide

Whats the need of me doing any Hollwood movie ever? After having done so many author backed lead rol Show more Whats the need of me doing any Hollwood movie ever? After having done so many author backed lead roles I don't feel any need to appear in English language movie for some minuscule blink and miss role or some 10 minutes supporting role.I am satisfied with my 180 films work in Indian film industry which itself contains 128 lead roles and rest includes guest appearances, few supporting roles which I did after 2000,then short films and central lead character in 4 TV serials. Offcourse I would always be remembered more for the lead hero roles I did from 1966-1991 more. Hide

Had met a young boy in 2010.He came up to me and said I like your films as they are not the usual gi Show more Had met a young boy in 2010.He came up to me and said I like your films as they are not the usual girl meets boy kind of story but bring dignity of mature actor into the plot and love your gorgeous eyes and love the songs picturised on you as well. After hearing this I felt really satisfied with the kind of work I have done. My grandchildren and their subsequent generation of kids, will continue to adore my work for years to come and that's my biggest reward. Hide

[on what he considers his best award] I always tried my level best to do films of different genres r Show more [on what he considers his best award] I always tried my level best to do films of different genres right from 1966 till date - what you call today as cinema for common man or art or parallel cinema - I have done it and my presence in it made it appear mainstream commercial, irrespective of box office result. That's an achievement. Films must be progressive and entertaining but should stick to ethical values. That's the reason I did those films, at a time when low quality movies from 1979-1991 with no clear cut message for viewers were being made. Even if a film flops in my career, when people say it deserved to be a hit and that I and my co-stars worked well and that film is good, that's the ultimate reward which gives me happiness. Hide

(2010) I was discovered as an actor at the age of 23 when I won the talent contest. Aakhri Khat made Show more (2010) I was discovered as an actor at the age of 23 when I won the talent contest. Aakhri Khat made me a star. Aradhana made me the superstar. Anand made me a legend. Amar Prem made me immortal. Amardeep ended my bad run at the box office. Hide

Rajesh Khanna's FILMOGRAPHY

as Actor (6)

Aa Ab Laut Chalen

Daag: A Poem of Love

Aradhana (1969)

Om Shanti Om [Sub: Eng]

Swarg (1990)

Disco Dancer