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Some Amazing Lesser Known Fun Trivia Facts About Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna, was born as Jatin Khanna on 29th of December 1942, was a beloved Indian actor, film producer, and politician who was best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is often remembered as the “First Superstar” of Indian cinema. He acted brilliantly in 15 consecutive solos hit films from the year 1969 to 1971, a record still unbroken.
He acted in 106 solo hero films, of which 97 films were released between 1967 and 2013. He only acted in 22 films with a multi-star cast. 82 of the 127 films had Rajesh Khanna as the lead protagonist. All these films were critically celebrated films with ratings above four stars out of 5 by film critiques of various newspapers of that time unanimously.
His debut was in 1966 in Aakhri Khat. It was also India’s very first official Oscar Entry in 1967. He starred in more than 168 feature films and 12 short films in his career. He received the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) four times and the Filmfare Best Actor Award three times. In 1991, he was honored with the Filmfare Special Award for completing his 26 years in Bollywood cinema, and in 2005, he was honored with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award on the 50th Anniversary of the Filmfare Awards. He was also the highest-paid Indian actor from the year 1970 to 1987, while Amitabh Bachchan shared this same tag with Rajesh Khanna from 1980 to 1987.
He also stepped into politics as he was also a Member of Parliament in the 10th Lok Sabha from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency between the year 1992 and 1996. He was elected in the 1992 New Delhi election as an Indian National Congress candidate.
He then married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, eight months before her debut film Bobby was released, and had parented two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is also an actress and a bestselling author who is also the wife of actor Akshay Kumar. The younger daughter is Rinke Khanna.

Khanna took his last breath on 18 July 2012, after a period of illness. He has been posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, which is India’s third-highest civilian honor. He has been honored with a stamp and statue, and also a road renamed after him by non-other than the Prime Minister of India. In the year 2014, his biography Rajesh Khanna – The untold story of India’s first Superstar written by Yasser Usman was published by Penguin Books. In the year 2018, a full one-kilometer fitness trail located in Lajpat Nagar National Park was named after him, which was inaugurated by his wife.

EARLY LIFE

Born on 29 December 1942, Rajesh Khanna lived in Amritsar in the present-day state of Punjab, as Jatin Khanna. He was adopted and brought up by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna, who were the relatives of his biological parents. His father migrated from West Punjab to Gali Tiwarian in Amritsar. His biological parents were called Lala Hiranand Khanna and Chandrani Khanna. Lala used to work as the headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala (present-day Vehari District, Punjab, Pakistan). His adoptive parents belonged from a railway contractors’ family who had moved from Lahore to Bombay in the year 1935. Khanna, at that time, lived in the Saraswati Niwas, in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai.
He studied in St. Sebastian’s Goan High School with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Khanna eventually became interested in theatre, did many stage and theatre plays in his school and college days, and also won many prizes in inter-college drama competitions.
In the year 1962, Khanna played the role of a wounded mute soldier in the play Andha Yug and impressed everyone with his performance; the chief guest himself suggested that he get into films soon. Khanna then became a rare newcomer who had his own MG sports car, and he was the same person who once struggled to get work in the theatre and films in the early 1960s.
Rajesh Khanna then did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts in Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune from the year 1959 to 1961. Later he studied at K. C. College, Mumbai. Khanna also tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna’s uncle KK Talwar was the one who changed Khanna’s first name to Rajesh when he decided to step into films. His friends and his wife used to call him Kaka (which meant a baby faced boy in Punjabi).

ACHIEVEMENTS

Rajesh Khanna was an Indian Hindi film actor. He was the one to win seven All-India Critics Association (AICA) Best Actor Awards and also received ten nominations. In the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards, he won four Best Actor Awards and received 25 nominations. He then won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards, a Filmfare Special Award in 1991, and a Filmfare Special Guest Actor Award in 1973. He received Filmfare Life Time Achievement Award at the 50th anniversary Filmfare award ceremony held in 2005.
Also, he was posthumously awarded India’s third highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, in 2013.

BOLLYWOOD CAREER

Rajesh Khanna became an established Bollywood actor in the ’70s and ’80s. In his career, he appeared in more than 168 feature films and 12 short films. He starred in 15 consecutive superhit solo films from 1969 to 1971, which is still an unbroken record. From 1970 to 1987, he was the highest-paid Indian actor. He three times won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) four times. He received the Filmfare Special Award in the year 1991 and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
He started his career in Chetan Anand’s film Aakhri Khat (1966) as a hero, and his first blockbuster film was Aradhana (1969), which was a romantic drama film.
He has worked with numerous heroines such as Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Mumtaz, Babita, Tanuja, Asha Parekh, etc.

CONTROVERSIES

1.After the death of legendary actor Rajesh Khanna, a new controversy arose on his property. The total value of Rajesh Khanna’s property is more than 600 crore. Rajesh Khanna had ‘Aashirwad,’ the bungalow on Carter Road in Bandra, a flat in Versova, Office at Linking Road, A bungalow at Mud Island, property at Chennai, Ashirwad Theater, share in the Filmalay at Andheri, and more.
2.Rajesh Khanna made a bill for his property, but in this bill, he did not give a single penny to his wife, Dimple Kapadia. He wrote his property to both his daughters, Twinkle and Rinkle Khanna, equally.
3.By this bill, both of the sisters would become the owner of the property of Rs. 300 crore each. It was in the news that, to get the share in the property, Dimple Kapadia may go to court.
4.In a new controversy, Rajesh Khanna wanted his bungalow to be converted as a museum in his name after his death. But new name Anita Advani, Rajesh Khanna’s former ‘lady love appeared, whom the superstar had supposedly planned to got married to some years back, demanded a share of Khanna’s property.
5.On the other hand, Dimple Kapadia, Twinkle Khanna, and Akshay Kumar wanted full rights on the whole property of Rajesh Khanna.
6.Reacted to this, Anita Advani was ready to file a case against Rajesh Khanna’s family for a share in the property.
7.By other news, Rajesh Khanna’s brother’s son also wanted to share in his late uncle’s property.
8.Anju Mahendru, who was the first lover of Rajesh Khanna, also wants some property of Rajesh Khanna.

SOME LESSER KNOWN FACTS

1.Rajesh Khanna was born as Jatin. It was a suggestion from his parents to take the name Rajesh before joining the film industry. He made this name so popular that many other parents of the 80s named their children after him!
2.He was raised by his close uncle and aunt. His parents promised him to his mother’s sister, who was childless. Rajesh Khanna always refrained from talking about this and gave many versions to different journalists.
3.Rajesh Khanna was so popular among ladies that his white fiat was often found with lipstick marks. He also received many letters written in blood from women. Not only this, many even married his photograph. He often needed police protection to roaming in public.
4.Rajesh and Mumtaz’s hit pair has a 100% success rate at the Box Office. They hold the record for being the only such pair.

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