I hate tears, Rajesh Khanna, the first ever superstar of Bollywood

Rajesh Khanna as and in Anand.
From the song Zindagi Kaise Hain Paheli Hai

Just heard the sad news that Rajesh Khanna is no more. My first reaction on hearing the news was to look up and play the song Zindagi Kaisi Hain Paheli Hai from Anand, where his eponymous character was shown to be suffering from Lymphosarcoma of the intestine and had been given a limited timeline to live. But, Anand, the person, showed an amazing liveliness and a philosophical outlook towards the inevitable. In a case of real life imitating the reel, Kaka, as he was fondly referred to, had been battling cancer for quite some time and ultimately lost earlier today, 18 July 2012. He was 69 and survived by estranged wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinke.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

Rajesh Khanna was the original superstar of Bollywood, a term that seemed to have been coined to describe his exploits on and off the screen and the craze surrounding his persona. He had appeared like a comet in the 1960's and took the Hindi film industry by storm, just like "Veni, vidi, vici". Does this look like a cliche? May be, but that's the only way to describe his entry in to the filmdom and meteoric rise.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

At a time, when Indian film industry was controlled mostly by the big studios, Kaka, as he was fondly referred to, appeared on the horizon as one of a kind, the brightest star of them all. Hindi film industry had seen many a matinee idols prior to Rajesh Khanna, like Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, who had all cast a spell on the audience, especially women, in their time, but the mass hysteria that followed in Rajesh Khanna's wake was never seen before. At his peak, his mere sight caused women to faint. Stories galore about his female fans slashing their wrists or sending him love letters written with their own blood. Among men, his hairstyle and distinctive kurta became a rage. His inimitable sideways nod and the style of delivering dialogues were practiced by generations of young men to impress their women.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

When Rajesh Khanna was busy climbing the popularity charts and breaking box office records, I was yet some years away from being born. My first memory of him is from the film Andaz, where he is shown riding a motorbike, Hema Malini in pillion, and Kishore Kumar's superhit "Zindagi Ek Safar Hain Suhana" on his lips. I remember crying at the death of his character. That was early 1980's, probably 1981, and I was yet to complete 5 years. But that memory, Hema Malini's giggles, Rajesh Khanna's mannerisms while riding the bike, Kishore's golden voice, everything got etched in to my memory for ever and before I knew it, I became a fan.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

Afterwards, I have watched most of his notable and not-so-notable films, seen him fading away from his throne in Bollywood, read about his much publicised affairs with Anju Mahendroo, Dimple Kapadia and Tina Munim, even criticized him for acting in forgettable flicks, but his star quotient never, for a even a moment, declined.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

Its common knowledge that he achieved superstardom with Aradhana in 1969, that all his films between 1969 and 1972 were commercially successful, that he had won three Filmfare Awards for the Best Actor, four BFJA Awards in the same category and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award too. His on-screen chemistry with several leading ladies, including Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Tina Munim, Asha Parekh and Hema Malini among others, were the stuffs of legends. Backed by big banner producers, best supporting cast and crew, superhit songs, mostly sung by Kishore Kumar and director backed roles, Rajesh Khanna dominated the industry for a considerable period of time, starting from the late Sixties.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

Rajesh Khanna's fall from cinematic peak, when it came, was almost as spectacular and sudden, as his rise. With the rise of a 6'2" man named Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna's charisma gradually started to wean away. His smile, nods and dialogue delivery could no longer create the same impact, his name no longer ensured ringing cash registers at the box office. As the Seventies passed, Rajesh Khanna was no longer the matinee idol of Bollywood. The tag of bankable superstar, whose presence ensured commercial success, had shifted to Amitabh Bachchan and the formulaic Bollywood machinery cashed in on his "angry young man" image instead of the romantic image of Khanna. At this juncture, Rajesh Khanna also tried to reinvent himself as an action oriented star, but was not successful in the endeavor. The Eighties saw him as an also ran actor and by the Nineties, he was totally out of favour. But his stature and personal charisma did not diminish. This was partly due to the fact that in spite of his image as the matinee idol, he had played a variety of roles - the terminally ill Anand Sehgal, an all-in-one domestic help in Bawarchi, an alcoholic and lonely husband in Amar Prem, a psychiatric patient in Khamoshi, a handicapped inventor in Avtaar, a fugitive in Roti etc. In the nineties, he even dabbled in politics and was a member of the lower house of the parliament between 1992 and 1996, representing Indian National Congress.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

But, there was more to Rajesh Khanna than his "superstar", the "king of Bollywood" or political leader image. He had single-handedly changed the dynamics of the Bollywood industry, from a studio oriented set-up to a star/actor oriented one. The kind of popularity, that he had enjoyed at his peak, has not been seen since then. His craze was way more than those enjoyed by even the likes of Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan. His mannerisms, dialogue delivery - everything remains unique even today. As the saying goes, they don't make men like him anymore.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

One, among his numerous hits, Daag, had the following lines delivered by his character, "Izzatein, shohratein, chahatein, ulfatein / Koi bhi cheez duniya main rahti nahi / Aaj main hoon jahan kal koi aur tha / Yeh bhi ek daur hain woh bhi ek daur tha! Aaj itni mohabbat na do doston / Ki mere kal ki khatir na kuchh bhi rahe / Aaj ka pyar thoda bacha kar rakkho / Mere kal ke liye!" Looking back, this seems to be the fate of many a famous actors once they had ridden in to the sunset. Thankfully, for Rajesh Khanna, it was not to be, and he was never short of love and adulation from his fans. As he said in his last commercial, shot for Havell's fans, nobody could take away his fans from him.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

As we mourn his passing away, I go back to Anand again. Anand would not have liked us to shed tears, as he himself had said, "I hate tears!"

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

I end this fan's homage to the superstar by quoting the immortal lines from, what else, Anand again. After Anand Sehgal's (Rajesh Khanna) death, a distraught Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) gets to hear his friends voice, which was taped, and through that tape recorder, Anand says, "Zindagi aur maut uparwale ke haath mein hain, Jahanpanah. Hum sab rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain, jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon se bandhi hui hain. Kab kaun uthega koi nahin bata sakta. Ha ha ha." Literally, we are all puppets in the hands of the almighty, and he holds the strings of our lives. Nobody knows whose turn is next.

shovon chakraborty tribute to rajesh khanna

So aptly summarized! Rajesh Khanna, we thank you Sir, for entertaining us, for making us laugh and cry, for making us feel joyous, for creating belief in us that even we can, and wish that your soul rests in peace!

Zindagi, Kaisi Hain Paheli Hai, Kabhi Toh Hasaye, Kabhi Yeh Rulaye ...