Super Star Rajesh Khanna: the only star with 15 consecutive hits

Mumbai: Rajesh Khanna entered Bollywood after winning a talent contest in 1965. He got his first break a year later in Chetan Anand's 'Akhri Khat', the rest as they say is history. Rajesh Khanna's rise to Bollywood superstar reads like a movie script. As a struggler in Mumbai, Rajesh Khanna won the All India Talent Contest organised in association with Filmfare, beating over 10,000 contestants. ALSO SEE Tribute: Rajesh Khanna mosaic made of 1500 images Though the actor got his first break soon after in Chetan Anand's 'Akhri Khat' in 1966, and followed it up with a few films including Asit Sen's 'Khamoshi', it wasn't until his double role in 'Aradhana' in 1969 opposite Sharmila Tagore that a star was born. Rajesh Khanna's crinkling eyes and stylised acting made him an overnight star, especially amongst his female fans. Rajesh Khanna is considered to be the original superstar for having 15 consecutive hits to his name, a record that remains unbroken. Through the early 70s films like 'Kati Patang', 'Safar', 'Ittefaq', 'Aan Milo Sajna' and 'Haathi Mere Saathi' consolidated his superstardom. During this phase Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Anand' remains one of the actor's most memorable performances. Rajesh Khanna married actress Dimple Kapadia while he was still riding his success wave in 1973. The two separated a few years later. Rajesh Khanna was also successfully paired with a string of leading ladies including Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh and Mumtaz. Though Rajesh Khanna's popularity declined with the rise of the angry young man, the star continued to deliver hits well into the 80s with films like 'Soutan', 'Dharam Kanta' and 'Maqsad'. He eventually moved on to do older and character roles and enjoyed box-office success with 'Avatar' and 'Swarg'. In the 90s the actor took a break from films and joined politics, having won the 1992 by elections on a Congress ticket from Delhi. Though Rajesh Khanna appeared in a B-grade film recently, it was a commercial directed by R Balki that brought him back to the limelight. The commercial recreates an era actually lived by Bollywood's first superstar who leaves behind a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come. Listen to some of the evergreen songs of Rajesh Khanna : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWgDVz4NEO4 Published by : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rajesh-khanna-the-only-star-with-15-consecutive-hits/272103-8-66.html

Tribute: Rajesh Khanna mosaic made of 1500 Rajesh Khanna images

He was arguably Hindi cinema's first superstar who evoked a kind of fan frenzy never witnessed before. Rajesh Khanna died at 69 on Wednesday at his Mumbai residence leaving behind a string of superhit films that were often characterised by their timeless music. He acted in over 150 films and as a tribute to Kaka, we have put together a Rajesh Khanna mosaic made up of 1500 images from different Rajesh Khanna films.

PUBLISHED IN: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tribute-rajesh-khanna-mosaic-made-up-of-1500-rajesh-khanna-images/272122-8-66.html

Old is gold Hindi - Chupke se dil de de

http://www.youtube.com/v/_qBSHYDvD24?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=NhEIyghDpOIcEVWPG2g7RA

The phenomenon called Rajesh Khanna

The phenomenon called Super Star

Rajesh Khanna I got a call from Tina, my best friend from Australia at 4:30 AM today but was too sleepy to answer. I saw 2 missed calls from her when I woke up to stop the alarm. Before I could go to my voice mail I opened FB on my phone itself and saw Pacifist’s post that said “‎*sob* *sob*” and had a link. And I knew it at that moment. I knew he had been ill for some time now and was in hospital but when I read the news that he’s no more, and all the articles that talked about his stardom and the movies he had worked in, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and I didn’t even realize it for sometime. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything the whole day today. I’m feeling just so sad. So I thought I would at least pour out my feelings here and that might lift the burden a little from my heart. Where do I start about this man? I was a carefree kid more than happy reading Fairy Tales, Roald Dahl series, Famous Five, Secret Seven and playing with the other kids in my neighborhood as long as as possible in the evenings. And that was a perfect life for me. One Friday evening, I was almost asleep at 9:30 when my Dad came, woke me up and took me to the hall where everybody else was already gathered, all prepared to watch a movie on Doordarshan. Movies were not even my last priorities back then. I didnt understand Hindi, to start with, so I was least interested in watching it. The movie that night was Amar Prem. But once the movie started, it sort of cast a spell on me and I sat and watched it till the end! I dont know what I understood at that age but I was totally in awe, fascinated by it. Couldn’t believe that the movie was over. And then the rest, as they say, is a history. When I saw Amar Prem that night, I fell head over heels in love with him. I had only heard from my Dad about his fan following, how crazy everybody was of Kaka back then, after Aradhana in 1969. 27 years later, in 1996, when I saw Rajesh Khanna in Amar Prem, I was mesmerized by his demeanor. I wasn’t spared by his charm at the age of 13, so I can imagine the frenzy he must have created in his hey days. After that, I literally used to wait for Fridays and I never missed a single movie of his that came on TV in the following 3 years – Kati Patang, Daag, Roti, Aap Ki Kasam, Aradhana, Raja Rani, Prem Nagar, Bawarchi, Anand, Do Raste, Bandhan, Khamoshi, Apna Desh…. I dont know how many movies of his I saw in the years that followed. I was in Nepal then. Sunday used to be a working day. Dad used to watch Rangoli regularly and while getting ready for school I used to catch a glimpse of few songs here and there. My Dad has a huge collection of old songs. So, even though I didnt know the language and was not very interested in music then, quite a lot of songs were familiar. And slowly I started feeling good seeing those songs on tv and over a period of time started enjoying them. I slowly started recognizing the actors but I used to find all the actresses look the same. It’s only after I started watching movies, I started recognizing the actresses. And my definition of actresses back then was : Sharmila (Rajesh Khanna’s heroine in Amar Prem), Asha Parekh (she was the one in Kati Patang), Waheeda (the nurse in Khamoshi) and so on. Rajesh Khanna was one man who introduced me to this industry and most of the other actors/actresses. He was my first crush! All the others, including Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Dev Anand, Manoj Kumar etc came a lot later in my life. I have laughed and cried with him, mourned when his character died on screen, have fallen in love with him, sung and danced along when he sang, felt happy when he was happy and sad when he was sad, have learnt a lot about life from his movies. I have lived a very wide range of emotions with him. Though he wasn’t even aware of my existence, he’s been a part of my life ever since I watched him as Anand Babu that night in 1996! And today, the first thing I learn after I get up in the morning is that he’s no more. I felt so hollow, it felt as though I had lost a family member. And I’ve been so lost and disoriented the whole day. Maximum numbers of songs on Zindagi that I know of are picturised on Rajesh Khanna. He’s taught us a lot about life and living through his songs and movies. So here are few of them that I can think of at the moment. 1. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli (Anand, 1971) : Anand has been one of my all-time favourites and I’ve seen it so many times that I’ve lost the count. The climax is so good that everytime I watch it, I feel like I’m seeing it for the first time. And I keep wishing for some miracle to happen so that at least this time around, Anand doesnt die. The record and playback of Amitabh’s Maut tu ek kavita hai to Rajesh’s Babumoshai, zindagi aur maut….the timing is so perfect that I, as an audience start praying and crying for Anand along with the rest of the characters in the movie. This movie is a lesson in itself – Zindagi badi honi chahiye lambi nahin. This song is so soothing and inspiring. And towards the end, after Anand mara nahin, Anand marte nahin, we see the balloons flying taking us back to this song - Jinhone sajaye yahaan mele Sukh dukh sang sang jhele Wohi chunkar khaamoshi Yoon chale jaaye akele kahaan Zindagi …… 2. Zindagi ek safar hai suhana (Andaaz, 1971) : Life’s unpredictable and we dont know what’s in store for us. So live the moment we have in hand to the fullest. Maut aani hai aayegi ek din Jaan jaani hai jayegi ek din Aisi baaton se kya ghabraana 3. Zindagi ka safar hai yeh kaisa safar(Safar, 1970) : This song sums up what life’s all about – a journey. We all come to this world, live our lives and then go one day. When we are born, the only thing that we know for sure is that we are going to die someday. We neither know where where life would take us and what it would make out of us. Then why do we fear death so much? Rajesh Khanna was one actor who romanced death with as much ease as he romanced his heroines. Maine maut ko dekha nahin Par shayad woh badi khuoobsurat hogi Kambakht jo bhi usse milta hai jeena chhod deta hai And the lines below from this song of his actually make death come across as something inevitable and yet, beautiful. Zindagi ko bahut pyaar humne diya Maut se bhi mohabbat nibhayenge hum Rote rote zamaane mein aaye magar Hanste hanste zamaane se jayenge hum 4. Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hai jo muqaam (Aap Ki Kasam, 1974) : I actually hated his role in this movie when I had first watched it when I was around 14 years old. I kept asking myself, he’s the hero, he’s supposed to know. How can he suspect his wife like that and ruin everybody’s life? Time that’s gone once never comes back again, it’s only the memories that remain and come back to haunt. To err is human, but does one pay so heavily for his mistakes? Yunhi waqt chalta hi rehta hai rukta nahin… Ek baar chale jaate hai jo din raat subah shaam woh, woh phir nahin aate 5. Zindagi pyaar ka geet hai (Souten, 1983) : It’s love that makes life beautiful but life’s not always about love and joy and happiness. Where there’s life, there’s death; where there’s despair, there’s hope, where there’s love, there’s pain….without pain, sorrows and tears one would never learn to appreciate the true value of happiness. No matter how tough things get in life, one should always try to see the silver lining in the cloud, should never give up hope. Zindagi ek muskaan hai Dard ki koi pehchaan hai…. Zindagi ek mehmaan hai chhod sansaar jaana padega 6. Zindagi sau baras ki (Awaaz, 1984) : I haven’t seen this movie, so I dont know much about the characters and the situation in which it is picturized. But it’s so rightly said, no matter how long one lives, life’s always uncertain. The only thing that’s certain about life is it’s end – the death. 7. Nafrat ki duniya ko chhod ke (Haathi Mere Saathi, 1971) : Oh, how I had loved this movie and I remember crying along during this song. Today, Kaka is no more, all I would want to tell him is - Iss jhoot ki nagari se tod ke naata jaa mere pyaar Amar rahe tera pyaar, khush rehna mere yaar 8. Ek andhera lakh sitare (Aakhir Kyun?, 1985) : Life’s a gift that god has given us and we should appreciate it. It’s not always easy to achieve what we want in life, but it’s the struggle that makes it worth it. Sabse badi saugat hai jeevan Nadaan hai jo jeevan se haare Dukh se agar pehchan na ho toh Kaisa sukh aur kaisi khushiyan Toofanon se ladkar hi toh lagte hai sahil kitne pyaare These are the songs that I could think of on life. Rajesh Khanna was not just an actor or a superstar, he was my hero, my teacher. If I started watching Hindi movies because of him and learnt the language, I also learnt some lessons of life from him, from his movies. It sounds crazy and senseless but that’s been his impact on me. Amar Prem – Love is immortal. Kuchh toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna Chhodo bekar ki baaton mein beet na jaye raina Haathi Mere Saathi – Love animals. Humans are selfish, they might stab you and betray you but animals would never do that Safar : Life’s a journey and one has to keep moving ahead Nadiya chale chale re dhara Chanda chale chale re taara Tujh ko chalna hoga Aakhir Kyon : Leave your past behind and work towards making a brighter future Beete hue kal ke khatir tu aane wala kal mat khona Anand : I have learnt to live from this movie! Aap Ki Kasam : Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear. Little knowledge is dangerous, try finding out the full version of the truth before reacting. Sachcha Jhoota : Dont go by the looks, looks are often deceptive Dil sachcha aur chehra jhoota Dushman : Being truthful isnt easy, it needs courage to accept your mistakes. Sachchai chhup nahin sakti banawat ke ausulon se Bawarchi : The joy of spreading happiness around you. Do small things for people you love, it makes them feel special. Aavishkaar : Nobody’s perfect. We all have our faults and weaknesses. Learn to accept people with their imperfections. And the list would just go on and on…… My Dad says he saw Aradhana 23 times in theater. I always used to keep telling him that he had contributed his bit in making Kaka a Superstar. I have a friend named Aradhna. She says her Dad named her so after watching the movie. This reminds me of one incident - Aradhna was my classmate in college. And there was a guy named Anand too in our class. One of my best friends, Moses, and I were discussing movies one day during lunch break in class. And it just happened that Aradhana was his favourite movie and Anand mine. A normal discussion ended up in an argument as to which is better. At the end of it we were just screaming Anand! (Me), Aradhana! (him), Anand!, Aradhana! That’s when the bell rang and everybody walked into the classroom. Anand and Aradhna walked upto us and asked : What the hell’s going on? Why are you both fighting over us? That was really hilarious!!! I was in hostel during college days and we had only Doordarshan, that too with regional transmission most of the time. Moses used to call me and tell me everytime there was Anand coming on any of the cable channels and make me go green with jealousy. When I would go home during holidays, I would tell Dad – it’s been so long since I saw Anand. It’s one of those movies for which I have set an alarm and gone to sleep, then gotten up in the middle of the night to watch it. Something similar happened last week too. When I got up on Friday morning, I saw a post on one of the groups on facebook saying there was a special program (on making of Anand) on Vividh Bharati at 4 pm (IST), but by the time I saw it, the program was already over. I found out the time of it’s repeat telecast, which was on Saturday morning, 10 AM (IST), that’s Friday night 12:30 AM for me. I set a reminder and tuned into Vividh Bharati at 12:30 AM just to listen to it. There are so many incidents like these that make him and his films and his songs so special for me. We never lose people we love, they live in our hearts for ever. Woh kal bhi paas paas tha Woh aaj bhi kareeb hai P.S. : A big thank you to Nisha for the banner! He’s now beyond all pains and illness and am sure he had warm welcome up there. Rest in peace, Kaka! http://sunheriyaadein.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/the-phenomenon-called-rajesh-khanna/

Kishore Kumar da for Super Star Rajesh Khanna

Kishore da for Super Star Rajesh Khanna : Kishore Da was the voice of Rajesh Khanna and most of their songs were just magical, they were so popular and they still are even today. Today, on Kishore Da’s birth anniversary, I thought of doing a post on those songs of this duo which are not as popular as the others. 1. Ladkhadane do mujhe (Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, 1977) : This is one movie that I had liked a lot. Simple, sweet and it had a very good plot. Super Star Rajesh Khanna is in love with Hema Malini, who’s in love with Jeetendra, even secretly married to him. When Rajesh learns about her past, he decides to help her find her love, though he himself is heartbroken. A perfect setting for a song complete with daaru ka tadka. Kishore is marvellous as always. http://youtu.be/fWXmUVw1j-A 2. Saath mein pyaara saathi hai (Dil Daulat Duniya, 1972) : This is one very romantic song, seductively so! And we can hear that in Kishore’s singing. I havent seen the movie so dont know how it was but I really like this song a lot. Aise mein ab tum hi kaho neend kisse kab aati hai 3. Chhalkao jhoom ke paimaana khushi ka (Phir Wohi Raat, 1980) : This song has a very happy feel to it – a typical birthday song. But when we watch it, we can sense an impending danger, especially with some characters lurking around suspiciously. The first time I saw this movie (I was still in school), I had seen it from the middle, somewhere in between. Since I had missed the beginning, I didnt know what movie it was, never knew the name. Few years later, when I had gone home for summer vacation (when I was in hostel) and realized there was a Rajesh Khanna movie coming on tv, I sat down to watch it. This time around I made sure I watched it from the beginning,I already knew the name this time as I had seen it’s trailer. Half way through I realized it was the same movie but then there was a power cut and I couldnt watch it fully. Though I remember the story, most of it, I had completely forgotten the songs. One day I was watching a Danny-Asha Bhosle song (Nepali) on youtube and in the comments section someone had mentioned that there is a Hindi song with a similar tune. And I couldn’t rest peacefully till I knew which one it was. I searched and searched and finally found it - Sang mere nikle the saajan from Phir Wohi Raat. I was little sad that I had seen the movie and didnt remember it’s songs. So I sat and watched all the songs of this movie that day and that’s when I re-discovered Chhalko jhoom ke also. 4. Aaiye aapko main apne (Joroo Ka Ghulam, 1972) : I simply love this song! Rajesh looks so cute, especially that image of him sitting with flour all over him is so very adorable. And love the way it’s sung. I can’t help laughing everytime it goes Aur yeh…main hoon. 5. Pyaar ki waadiya de rahi hai sada (Jaanwar, 1983) : I had heard this song on radio and always thought of this it as a “cntrl+f” song, where hero and heroine have been separated and hero’s wandering all over searching for his love. It has that longing and desperation in Kishore’s voice that gives the feel to it. I happened to watch it only recently and from the time I have seen the video I’ve been wanting to see the movie. Songs used to be an important part of the story, and that’s one thing I love the most about Hindi films. Looks like Zeenat has lost her memory and Rajesh is trying to remind her of who she is and what they once shared. 6. Ruk meri jaan (Bundal Baaz, 1976) : Yet another song which I had heard very often on radio but never watched. I haven’t seen the movie yet and came across this song on youtube only recently. It’s a catchy song and entertaining too but I feel sad to see Ranjeet so helpless. Bechare ki image ki toh dhulai kardi . And Rajesh looks like a safedi ki chamkaar :-) 7. Tera dil kya kehta hai (Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka, 1977) : I dont remember the story though I think I have seen this movie. I vaguely remember the climax, ie if it’s the one where Rajesh is left on an island/or surrounded by waterbody where there are alligators all around. And Danny also makes it a point to leave some raw meat behind so that it’s smell would attract the reptiles and they would attack Rajesh. I had found the way Rajesh escapes from there very funny. I only remember the songs of this movie – the catchy title track, Purab Aur Paschim inspired song in the club – Mashriq se jo aaye and this one. The best thing that I like about this particular song is Yunhi raston pe chalte jaye hum aur manzil kabhi bhi na aaye. 8. Ek raja ka ek beta tha (Tyaag, 1977) : This movie had some great songs. I love this one and a duet Hum tum tum hum hum tum ek nadi ke hai do kinare. I like the chemistry that Rajesh shares with the kid and the way Kishore sings it – the conversational/story-telling like tone it has – esp tum jaichha hi pyaala pyaala. Though this song is not a complete solo song, I just cant help posting it. 9. Aisa rangeen sama hai re (Aanchal, 1980) : It’s picturization is OTT, but I still like this song because it makes me feel good and brings a smile on my face everytime I listen to it. It’s also about – we want lots of things in life but dont always get them. But it doesnt mean that we get disheartened and lose hope. A ray of hope always gives you a reason to look forward to and feel happy. 10. Fauji gaya jab gaon mein (Akraman, 1975) : There were few more songs in my mind and I had reached the end of this post even before I realized. After debating a lot between Yeh mera jeevan tere liye hai from Babu and this one, I chose this because it’s so colorful to start with. And the narration is so entertaining – a total paisa vasool performance, esp Mera Baapu saath mere Jarnail Singh ban baitha and Rum ki botal part! As always, I’ve reached the end of the post too soon. Be it popular or lesser popular songs, Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar have left a legacy behind and they’ll continue to live in our hearts forever. http://sunheriyaadein.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/k-for-kishore-i-kishore-sings-for-rajesh-khanna/

Mukesh sings for Super Star Rajesh Khanna's Movies

Mukesh sings for Rajesh Khanna Kishore Kumar was the voice of Rajesh Khanna. But Mukesh and Rafi have sung few songs for him and such great ones at that. I had started this post last month to publish it in the last week of July, somewhere around Mukesh’s birth anniversary and Rafi’s death anniversary. But like it’s said – waqt se aaghe kabhi kisi ko kuch nahin milta, even a post doesnt get published. Hopefully the list of songs that Rafi has sung for him will be ready by 24th Dec. Mukesh has sung just a few songs for Kaka. In fact, I can think of only 6 such songs. And I like all of them, so here they are! 1. Maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne (Anand, 1971) : What a beautiful song this is! I can never do enough justice to this song by writing anything about it. Rajesh Khanna plays the character of a cancer patient in this movie, he knows he’s going to die and has just a couple of months left to live. But he doesnt let that dampen his spirits. On the contrary, he tries living his life to the fullest. I wont start with the dialogues all over again. I wont be able to stop at one or two if I do. I’ve seen this movie so many times but I was never sure who this song was actually meant for (in fact never thought about it). When he gets his jhola and refers before starting the second antara, there’s a hint of sadness, loneliness in his eyes. He doesnt have a heroine paired opposite to him here though he mentions a girl who he was in love with. Is he thinking of her while singing this song or is he singing this to himself, to his life. Now the more I listen to it the more I feel it’s Anand’s life from his point of view. Both Mukesh and Rajesh Khanna have done an outstanding job and brought out the right emotions in this song. Gulzar, Mukesh, Salil Chaudhary 2. Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye (Anand, 1971) : It’s quite a strange thing that Mukesh has sung two songs for Rajesh in the same movie! This song is a top top favourite of mine. If I ever have to make a list of my all-time favourite songs, this would definitely feature in it. I cannot explain in words what I feel when I listen to it or watch it. This is the only time we see Anand sad, weak and vulnerable in the movie. This song reminds me of Solitary Reaper, I think of that poem almost everytime I hear this song. It’s so poignant – the setting sun, the longing : longing for life and what couldn’t be his, there’s so much of sadness in it and yet it’s so beautiful and so soothing. Dil jaane mere saare bhed yeh gehre Kho gaye kaise mere sapne sunhere Yeh mere sapne yehi toh hai apne Mujhse juda na honge inke yeh saaye Mukesh, Salil Da, Yogesh I had come across this site sometime ago and I saw it today again when I was searching for this song. They have done a complete justice to it, described exactly how I feel when I listen to it. 3. Jis gali mein tera ghar na ho baalma (Kati Patang, 1970) : Another favourite Mukesh-on-Rajesh Khanna song of mine. I grew up listening to this song but saw it for the first time only while watching the movie. And Kati Patang is among the movies I saw right after Amar Prem. And this was the first time I was listening to Mukesh and watching Rajesh Khanna on screen, it kind of felt odd. He declares his love to his best friend’s widow, with a style and a charm that was uniquely his. Any girl would be on cloud nine listening to someone sing such beautiful poetry to her, but Asha, impersonating her friend, holds herself back but that doesnt discourage him a bit. Anand Bakshi, Mukesh, RDB Mr. and Mrs. 55 have written about this song as well and must say they are very good at it! 4. Phool aahista pheko (Prem Kahani) : This is one movie I’ve never been able to get hold of till now. But the songs, be it cheerfully romantic title track or this one, they are just terrific. And the exchange of sher-o-shayaris before the song is masha-allah! Anand Bakshi, LP, Mukesh & Lata 5. Zubaan pe dard bhari (Maryada, 1971) : Mukesh’s voice is usually referred to as dard-bhari awaaz. And we all know, he was the best when it came to bringing out the sorrow. Nobody can sing tragic songs like him, one of the main reasons why I have resisted him for so many years. And here he is singing Zubaan pe dard bhari. I wonder if he was roped in to sing this song because of the lyrics. But whatever it may be, this song wouldn’t have been the same if somebody else had to sing it. I dont remember much of this movie (probably because I didnt find it all that great) except for the fact that Mala Sinha was in a double role. I have vague memories of Raj Kumar wandering with a cage, and just Chup ke se dil de de and this song. Anand Bakshi, Kalyanji-Anandi, Mukesh 6. Dil sambhale sambhalta nahin (Raaz, 1967) : This is one hell of a romantic song (Mukesh doesnt sing only dard-bhare songs) and a very catchy one. It’s one of those let-me-go shaam dhalne lagi songs which I totally love. Such beautiful background (blue sky spotted with fluffy white clouds, snow-capped mountains glistening, greenery, cattles grazing) , two very good looking people romancing onscreen and two of the greatest singers singing it for them – all one has to do is just sit back and enjoy and let it’s beauty sink in. They sound so helplessly in love and that just adds to the cuteness factor of this song! Kalyanji-Anandji, Mukesh * Lata