Rajesh Khanna obituary

Rajesh Khanna, who has died aged 69 after a long illness, was Indian cinema's first superstar. At the height of his fame he generated adulation that sometimes verged on mass hysteria and appeared in 15 consecutive hit films over the course of three years. He first achieved acclaim in Aradhana (Worship, 1969), playing two roles – the husband and grown-up son, both air force pilots, of the established star Sharmila Tagore. Notable among the romantic drama's musical numbers was the sexy Roop Tera Mastana (Your Beauty Is Intoxicating), recorded in a single take, a first for Hindi cinema. Further highly commercial films followed, including Aan Milo Sajna (Come Meet Me, Beloved, 1970), Kati Patang (Broken Kite, 1970) and Haathi Mera Saathi (Elephant My Partner, 1971). More thought-provoking were Daag (Stain, 1973), dealing with the subject of bigamy, and Anand (1971), in which a dying man teaches others about the beauty of life. Success brought a palatial home in the heart of Mumbai and fan frenzy wherever Khanna went. The massive success of his films also benefited the actress Mumtaz, another of his co-stars, and the singer Kishore Kumar, to whose voice he mimed on the big screen. Filmfare best actor awards – India's equivalent of Oscars – came for Khanna's roles in Sachaa Jhutha (Honest Dishonest, 1971), for the title character in Anand and for Avishkaar (Discovery, 1975). The last of his 11 further nominations came in 1984 for the title character in the tearjerker Avtaar. Khanna's ascent was aided by the fact that audiences were ready for a change from the stars of the 1950s and 60s. His reserved charm and handsome features gave him something of the appeal of Rudolph Valentino. Born in Amritsar in the Punjab region of India, with the first name of Jatin, Khanna was adopted by relatives, Chunni Lal Khanna and Leela Devi. The family moved to Mumbai, where he grew up in the Thakurdwar district and took a keen interest in theatre while attending St Sebastian Goan high school. After completing his studies at Kishinchand Chelleram College, Khanna decided to pursue a full-time career in acting, much to the disapproval of his family. An uncle advised him to change his first name to Rajesh, and he entered the 1965 All India Talent Contest, beating more than 10,000 contestants to land starring roles in the movies Aakhri Khat (The Last Letter, 1966) and Raaz (Secret, 1967). In 1973 the action movie arrived with Zanjeer (Shackles), and the more rugged actor Amitabh Bachchan – who had come to notice supporting Khanna in Anand and Namak Haram (Betrayer, 1973) – succeeded him as the king of Bollywood. That year, too, Khanna shocked his fans by marrying the 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia. Later that year she became the nation's sweetheart in the title role of her first film, Bobby. Dimple immediately retired from films and they had two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke, both of whom became actors. Khanna's hits continued into the 1980s as he tackled action movies, tearjerkers and darker roles such as the serial killer in Red Rose (1980). After he had a short-lived affair with the actress Tina Munim, Kapadia took her two daughters and left him in 1982, and they remained separated. In 1985, 11 films were released with him in the lead, of which eight became hits. After that, his film activity slowed down, and he served the New Delhi constituency as an Indian National Congress MP from 1992 to 1996. He remained an activist after losing his seat. He continued to appear in a handful of films and TV serials until 2010, by which time he had been credited in more than 150 titles. Twinkle, his elder daughter, is married to the Indian film star Akshay Kuma. Khanna was given a Filmfare lifetime achievement award in 2005, and the same honour at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2009. He is survived by his wife and daughters. • Rajesh Khanna, actor, born 29 December 1942; died 18 July 2012