REMEMBERING RAJESH KHANNA WITH HIS ICONIC MOVIES

MUMBAI: Bollywood’s first superstar, Rajesh Khanna, would have turned 79 if he were alive today. Born in Punjab’s Amritsar on 29 December 1942, Khanna made his debut in 1966 with ‘Aakhri Khat’, which was India’s first official Oscar Entry in 1967. With his versatility in acting, he has wowed and entertained the audience in more than 100 films.

Here is a look back at a few of the iconic films that made him an irrepressible star:

‘Anand’: The 1971 film that is still best known for its heart-touching ruminative dialogues gave the message ‘Death is just a moment’. Khanna played the role of Anand, who has lymphosarcoma of the intestine, a rare type of cancer.

‘Aradhana’: Khanna achieved super-stardom with this 1969 blockbuster hit that also starred Sharmila Tagore in the lead role. Sharmila played the role of Vandana in the movie and Kaka played the double role –Arun (Vandana’s husband) and Prasad Saxena (Vandana and Arun’s child).

‘Amar Prem’: One of the iconic movies of all time, which gave the memorable dialogue ‘Pushpa, I hate tears’, ‘Amar Prem’ is the 1972 record-breaking movie which co-starred veteran actor Sharmila Tagore with Khanna in the lead.

‘Avtaar’: The 1983 Mohan Kumar directorial film ‘Avtaar’ starred Khanna and veteran actor Shabana Azmi in the lead roles. ‘Avtaar’ was a commercial hit, and reportedly Khanna’s biggest film in terms of box office collections since 1973.