It’s Rajesh Khanna’s 80th birth anniversary on December 29 and his fan following, which includes industry insiders as well, are excited about the celebrations. Kaka, as he was lovingly called, was a superstar in his own terms. His smile and acting prowess has not both mesmerised and inspired many. Interestingly, he had 15 consecutive solo hit films between the years 1969 and 1971. Nivedita Basu, Head of Content, Strategy and Business Alliance, Atrangii, is a huge admirer of the megastar. The producer talks about her favourite film of the late actor and more.
“I am all about music and Rajesh Khanna’s movie songs from Anand, Kati Patang, Aradhana, Do Raaste are amazing. I brought in the concept of using movie songs in TV shows along with Ekta in 2000. Anand, among all his films, is my favourite because you haven’t seen a darker subject like that having a brighter side,” she says.
Rajesh has two biographies on him written by Yasser Usman and Narayanan Subramanian. The way his life came to an end was a bit tragic, yet he is still alive through his films and superhit songs pictured on him and sung by legendary singer Kishore Kumar.
“I do remember the biography by Yaseer Usman called Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s first superstar. Like I said his music was so evergreen that even today people groove to it. I am not comparing today’s and yesterday’s music but somehow the old songs and lyrics didn’t pack in so much electronics and beats, and was all about the soul and the tune that touched you. Kishore Da did a fab job giving his voice to Rajesh Khanna,” she adds.
Rajesh Khanna had a great rise and a great fall. The success he saw no one else saw again and his personal life also made headlines in those days. This success-failure saga and personal turmoil took a toll on his life. He had no friends when he died, though his fans existed. His life reminds us that one day all success and fame becomes a thing of the past.
“There is one reality which I learned during my early days in media is that there is nothing permanent here. You are here only because you are on the top, you are known only because you are talked about and the day that goes, the same people will just vanish. So yes it is very sad yet true. To hear that somebody like Rajesh Khanna, who’s popularity was unimaginable, was lonely at the end of his life feels unreal,” she says.
Loneliness and emptiness are reality with successful and famous people too. “When I took a sabbatical and was having a family and a kid, I saw people turning away a little because they didn’t have anything to gain from me. Again things changed when I got it, so I am used to it. It’s not something that does shake you up, and I want to tell the present generation to stay prepared for this. Don’t make your decision on what is today, just enjoy now and think about your tomorrow. Look at how short lived our life is and on top of that we just get misled by all these things especially, social media,” Nivedita sounds philosophical.
Meanwhile, the sudden demise of Tunisha Sharma (20) reportedly by suicide, has sent a shockwaves down the industry. The tragic incident made everyone realise the vulnerability of life and emotions.
Reacting to the same, Nivedita adds, “People outside think that actors have a perfect life and everything is fancy and nothing is bad, but look at the sad ending. I want to tell you why you believe in everything that you see. At the end of the day it’s the media. We do lead real lives too and that reflects in our actions. So let’s make our actions a little more responsible.”
