Rajesh Khanna Birth Anniversary: A look at 5 iconic performances of late superstar

MUMBAI: Legendary Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna was known as the First superstar of Indian cinema and enjoyed a massive fan following during the 60s and 70s because of his amazing acting performances and charming looks.

During his career span, the actor worked in almost 150 films and left a legacy behind him. On the veteran actor’s birth anniversary today, take a look at his top 5 movies of all time.

1. Aaradhna

Helmed by Shakti Samanta, the romantic drama film starred Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in the lead roles and was among the blockbuster hit films of the year. The film gave us super-hit tracks like ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’, ‘Roop Tera Mastaana’ and ‘Kora kaagaz tha yeh man mera’.

2. Haathi Mere Saathi

M A Thirumugham directed the film and it ranks among Rajesh Khanna’s biggest hits of his career. The film showcased the beautiful relationship between a man and an elephant and also starred Tanuja and Madan Puri in the lead roles.

3. Kati Patang

The Hindi romantic musical drama film directed by Shakti Samanta was released in the year 1971 and starred Rajesh Khanna, Asha Parekh, and Prem Chopra in the lead roles. Super-hit tracks ‘Yeh Shaam Mastani’, ‘Pyar Deewana Hota Hai’, and ‘Yeh jo mohabbat hai’ were part of the film.

4. Amar Prem

Released in the year 1972 the romantic drama film was directed by Shakti Samanta which was an official Hindi remake of the Bengali film ‘Nishi Padma’ and emerged to be a cult classic film. The thought-provoking song ‘Chingaari Koi Bhadke’ written by Anand Bakshi and sung by Kishore Kumar, is one of the highlights of this classic.

5. Anand

One of Kaka’s most popular films starred Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles, with Rajesh playing the title role. The film was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and is about a cancer patient (Khanna) who believes in living life to the fullest. Khanna’s dialouge “Babumoshai zindagi badi honi chahiye lambi nahi” from the film remains unforgettable.

The ‘Aradhana’ actor was born in Punjab’s Amritsar on December 29, 1942, Khanna made his debut in 1966 with ‘Aakhri Khat’, which was India’s first official Oscar Entry in 1967. By 2011, Khanna held the record for the maximum number of films as the solo lead hero and the least number of multi-star cast films in Hindi Cinema.

With his versatility in acting, he has wowed and entertained the audience in more than 100 films. Khanna, who was fondly called Kaka, also made the world record of having 17 successive super-hits in three years from 1969-71 which included 15 consecutive solo super-hit films. The actor won the Filmfare Best Actor Awards on three occasions and was nominated 14 times.

The actor-turned-politician was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour. It has been 10 years since the legendary actor passed away and the world is still mourning the loss of the icon, whose excellence, grace and charisma are unmatched. (ANI)