Rajesh Khanna led life drifting in a roller coaster ride full of troughs and crests. Boarding the flight of his career with renowned filmmaker Chetan Anand and smeared with revelries of unsuccessful setback very soon, he became one of the familiar names in the industry with his dark, soulful, somewhat fleshy looks. The actor persisted and exceeded all expectations through his work.Early Life of Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna was born on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar in the present-day state of Punjab, in a Khatri family as Jatin Khanna. He was adopted and raised by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna, who were relatives of his biological parents. His father had migrated from West Punjab to Gali Tiwarian in Amritsar. His biological parents were Lala Hiranand Khanna and Chandrani Khanna. Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas, in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai. He attended St. Sebastian's Goan High School with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre, did many of stage and theatre plays in his school and college days, and won many prizes in inter-college drama competitions. Khanna did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts in Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune from 1959 to 1961. Khanna later studied in K. C. College, Mumbai and Jeetendra studied from Siddharth Jain College. Khanna tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna's uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to enter films.
Career of Rajesh Khanna
In 1962 Khanna played a wounded mute soldier in the play Andha Yug and impressed with his performance; the chief guest suggested that he get into films soon. Khanna became a rare newcomer who had his own MG sports car, who once struggled to get work in theatre and films in the early 1960s. 1966 witnessed Rajesh winning the All India Talent Contest and just after that he joined the film media and debuted in 'Akhri Khat.' The limelight refused to cast away only after his film 'Aradhana ' monopolized the box office in the year 1969.
Often paired with actresses Mumtaz or Sharmila Tagore, he delivered mosto f his box office hits in this period, 'Anand', 'Amar Prem', 'Andaaz', 'Daag' and 'Namak Haraam' subjected to the law of diminishing returns . Several of the popular Bollywood songs rendering the voice of Kishore Kumar in the 1970s picturised on Khanna accelerated the wizardries of glory. His acting in 'Amar Prem' and 'Aap ki Kasam' were unforgettable landmarks. In the late 1970s and 1980s he switched his style and shifted his image from a romantic hero to an action protagonist. He continued to play central characters or guest roles in multi-starred films as well, such as 'Disco Dancer', 'Kudrat', 'Rajput', 'Dharam Aur Kanoon', 'Ashanti'.
Khanna was not a man who opted for calculated risks and rather experimented with negative roles in 'Red Rose' where he essayed the role of a psychopath and in 'Dhanwaan', where he played an arrogant businessman. By the early 1990s he closed the doors of cinema temporarily and plunged on to enact the role of a M.P from 1991-96. He beamed back with a boom in 'Aa Ab Laut Chale' and 'Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa' where he played elderly father roles.
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