Indian cinema’s first superstar, Rajesh Khanna, passed away in 2012, but his legacy lives on, and this poignant episode of ‘Indian Idol’ is proof of that. Veteran actress Asha Parekh and music composer Vishal Dadlani recently appeared on the show, where they shared unusual personal memories of the late actor’s stardom.
Asha Parekh The moment she knew Rajesh Khanna was a star
When host Harsh Limbachiya asked Asha Parekh when she first realized Rajesh Khanna’s star power, the veteran actress had a clear answer. She recalled, “Unki Picture ekdam se hit ho gayi aur sab ladkiyan deewani ho gayi. Tab laga ki yeh superstarban gaye hain. Iske liye main jo kahungi ki Rajesh Khanna ke peeche jo craze tha, ladkiyon ka jo pagalpan tha, woh maine sirf ek aur Hero ke liye dekha hai aur woh hain
Dev Anand
Gee. Unke liye bhi ladkiyan behosh ho jaati thi. Isi Tarah Rajesh Khanna ji ke liye bhi suna hai ki log unki gaadi ko kiss karte the, aur kuch toh unke photo ke saath shaadi bhi karte the.
(His film became a huge hit overnight and all the girls became crazy about him. That’s when I felt he became a big star. About this, I would say that the kind of craziness and madness that the girls had towards Rajesh Khanna I have seen only one other hero, and that was Dev Anand.
Girls will swoon too. Likewise, I heard that people were kissing Rajesh Khanna’s car, and some of them even married his photos).”
Asha Parekh recalls that between 200 and 300 girls stormed into the recording studio to catch a glimpse
Asha Parekh shared a memorable incident from the sets of ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’.
She said, “Hum log shooting kar rahe the, aur ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani’ ke liye stage dubbing mein gaye the. Chhota sa Theater tha, aur 200-300 ladkiyan andar ghus gayi thi. Rajesh Khanna ji ko dekhkar sab pagal ho gayi thi. (We were shooting, we went to the dubbing theater for ‘Mere.’ Sapno” “ki rani.” It was a small theatre, and about 200-300 girls rushed inside.
The moment they saw Rajesh Khanna, everyone went crazy.”
About Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is widely regarded as the first ever superstar of Indian cinema, having delivered blockbusters including ‘Anand’, ‘Aradhana’, ‘Kati Patang’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Haathi Mere Saathi’ and ‘Safar’ across a career spanning over six decades. He was married to actress Dimple Kapadia and has daughters
Twinkle Khanna
And Rinky betrayed us.
