“Babumoshai…Zindagi ek rangmanch hai, aur hum sab us rangmanch ki kathputliyan… Jiski dor upar wale ke haath me hai… Usse na aap badal sakte hain na hum”.jpg)
O Mere Dil Ke Chaen, Chaen Aaye Mere Dil Ko Dua Kijiye - as Rajesh Khanna sashayed in his sports car, scarf flowing from his neck, shades in place, crooning Kishore Kumar's mellifluous melody in Mere Jeevan Saathi, lakhs of Indian women missed a heart beat.
Yes, 'Roop Tera Mastana' or 'Chingari Koi Badke' also symbolised RK, but for me the abiding image of Rajesh Khanna will always remain 'O Mere Dil Ke Chaen.' It captured India's first megastar in all his many-splendoured glory. Rajesh Khanna was a true blue superstar, a demigod who embodied the characteristics of two legends of the yesteryear - the romanticism, flair and chutzpah of Dev Anand and the tragi-histrionic abilities of Dilip Kumar.
In the five-year span which saw him emerge as B-Town's first superstar, Rajesh Khanna, or Kaka as he was known in the industry, was all the rage, until he was supplanted by the Paul Muni-baritoned Amitabh Bachchan in Namak Haram. In fact, at the premiere of Namak Haram at Mumbai's Liberty cinema, Khanna in his candour told director Hrishi-da - 'My time is up, the new superstar has arrived,' pointing to his co-star - Bachchan.
He did hits like Ittefaq,Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Anuraag, Anurodh, Ajnabee, Mehbooba,Aan Milo Sajna and Andaz , Khamoshi,Safar,Prem Kahani etc. As many as 15 blockbuster hits simply rolled off the conveyor belt. With Hrishi-da, he made many memorable and acclaimed films - Anand, Bawarchi, Namak Haram. His ouevre being a combination of stylish romantic and the emotionally high-strung tragic heroes. Personally, he was egotistical, whimsical and completely paranoid about failure.
Those were not the days of the Rs.100-crore club. The success of a film was decided by how long it ran. Hit films celebrated silver, golden or platinum jubilee at single screen theatres.
Khanna started the trend of romantic films in Bollywood and gave consecutive hits, which created a frenzy of sorts at the box office. Film-makers would call him the Midas Man of the box office. They would work overtime on romantic scripts to suit Khanna's appeal and work at ensuring great music, which they knew would do wonders if teamed with Khanna.
At the peak of his popularity, Kaka would sign small-budget films that did wonders at the box office only because of his presence.
"Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand was the biggest example of a small-budget film which went on to become a phenomenal success at the box office. Till date, Anand is known as one of the best examples of a small-budget film that made a fortune,"
It was this aura that never let him go though he was pushed to the sidelines by the angry young men of subsequent generations. So he came back with superlative character roles in Avtaar and Amrit and re-established his relevance in commercial cinema. And maybe it was out of a sense of premonition that he got off his sick bed to acknowledge the generations who stood behind him with the punchline, “Babumoshai, mere fans mujhse koi nahi chheen sakta (nobody can take my fans away from me).”
“Babu moshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi”
With all the glories and stardom , that one can ever achieved,after making his life really BADI, our beloved KAKA passed away on July 18 due to liver infection. But he'll undoubtedtly remain THE IMMORTAL SUPERSTAR GLITTERING IN THE HEARTS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FOREVER.......
"ANAND MARA NAHIN, ANAND MARTE NAHIN."
