Rajesh Khanna Age, Death Cause, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known facts About Rajesh Khanna

• Was Rajesh Khanna a smoker?

• Was Rajesh Khanna a drinker? Yes.

• Super Star Rajesh Khanna was taken in as an adopted child by Chunni Lal Khanna, a wealthy relative of his biological father.

• Rajesh Khana and Jitendra, the actor, attended St. Sebastian’s Gaon High School together. Additionally, Rajesh Khana provided assistance to Jitendra for his inaugural audition in acting.

• During the early 1960s, Rajesh Khanna possessed an MG sports car which he would often drive to auditions while he was still struggling in his career. Additionally, his father had purchased an MG Magnette mark IV, MG Midget Sports Cars, and an MG MGA Roadster 1600 model, which he would frequently use for his own transportation.

• Despite his father’s disapproval, Rajesh Khanna defied the odds and entered a talent contest organized by Filmfare, emerging victorious among a staggering 10,000 participants.

• Nominated for the Oscars and making it to the final five, his debut film ‘Akhri Khat’ achieved significant acclaim.

• Rajesh Khanna had a desire to wed Anju Mahendru, his partner of 7 years. However, Anju Mahendru was not prepared for the commitment of marriage, resulting in their separation. Interestingly, on the way to his wedding with Dimple Kapadia, Rajesh Khanna coincidentally passed by the street where Anju Mahendru resided.

• Rajesh Khanna had the opportunity to portray dual characters in a total of 12 films, namely Raaz, Aradhna, Dharm aur Kannon, Kudrat, Sachcha Jhootha, Humshakal, Hum Dono, Unche Log, Mehbooba, Bhola Bhala, Dard, and Mahachor.

• Every movie that featured him and actress Mumtaz became a huge success.

• Film critics bestowed upon him the prestigious title of ‘Super Star’, making him the first Bollywood actor to achieve this honor.

• Throughout his career spanning nearly three decades, he graced the screen in a mere 20 films that featured multiple male lead actors.

• Rajesh Khanna would often join the music director and Kishor Kumar in the presentation and recording of his movie’s solo songs. It is worth mentioning that Kishor Kumar had sung the majority of songs for Rajesh Khanna.

• Due to his immense popularity among female fans, he possessed a substantial and dedicated following. Several admirers went to extreme lengths to express their affection, even resorting to writing love letters with their own blood. Astonishingly, a few individuals even went as far as marrying his photograph. Consequently, he consistently required police protection whenever he appeared in public.

• The iconic song ‘Roop Tera Mastana’ from the film Aradhna was captured in one continuous take.

• Rajesh Khanna had a prolific career spanning 45 years, during which he appeared in approximately 180 movies.

• Rajesh Khanna, who had previously lost to L.K. Advani in 1991, emerged victorious in the by-election of 1992. He alleged foul play by the opposing party and as a result, the elections were conducted once again. Following this triumph, he dedicated five years of his life serving as an MP, abstaining from any film projects except for ‘Khudai’ released in 1994.

• Rajesh Khanna had a reputation for being consistently late on film sets. In an interview, actor Prem Chopra, who worked with Rajesh Khanna in multiple films, shared an incident that took place during the shooting of Haathi Mere Saathi (1971). Chopra mentioned that while some people misunderstood Rajesh Khanna, he was genuinely dedicated to his work. However, his habit of arriving late caused some issues. To address this problem, the strict producer Chinnappa Thevar, during the filming of Haathi Mere Saathi in Madras, would send someone to pick up Rajesh Khanna at 6 o’clock. Despite this arrangement, Rajesh Khanna would consistently arrive on set between 11 or 12, likely due to his status as a highly regarded hero. In response to this persistent tardiness, Thevar had assigned someone to deal with the situation. Whenever Rajesh Khanna would arrive late, Thevar would physically assault and verbally berate that individual, expressing his anger by asking, “Don’t we pay you? Why are you always late?” Eventually, Rajesh Khanna understood the intention behind these actions and started arriving on time.