MUMBAI: A shell-shocked Bollywood today mourned the death of Rajesh Khanna, hailing him as the "King of Romance", "powerhouse" and a "giant" of the Hindi film industry.
As condolences poured after the demise of Bollywood's first superstar, film directors and actors, several of whom were associated with Khanna, came together to play glowing tributes to the 69-year-old actor and said his name will be written in "golden words."
Shah Rukh Khan, a present day superstar, said Khanna's smile will be missed forever.
"To live with intention and walk to the edge. Play with abandon, choose with no regret. Smile and made us do the same. Sir, you defined our era. Whenever life felt tough u made us feel how love could change it all. RIP," SRK tweeted.
Mumtaz, who acted in 10 films with Khanna, including memorable ones such as 'Ap Ki Kasam', 'Roti', 'Apna Desh' and 'Sachcha Jhootha' said she had lots of memories of working with Rajesh Khanna. 'Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain' and the peppy 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' were two perennial hits from 'Aap ki Kasam.'
"RIP to the 1st king of romance ... Rajesh Khanna," Shahid Kapoor posted on the micro-blogging site.
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai said, "He was the powerhouse of Hindi film industry. I met him on the sets of aaradhna, he had some kind of energy and you will be charged when he is around you. His name will be written in golden words."
"Another of Hindi cinema's giants passes, Rajesh Khanna. Our sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly," Madhuri Dixit tweeted.
Veteran actress Vyjayanthimala said, "His death is a big loss to the industry. It's my bad luck that I didn't have the chance to work with him because he came much later. I remember when he came to Chennai for some film shoot the college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was going to his studio."
Brought superstardom to Hindi films
Rajesh Khanna epitomised a range of emotions on the big screen--from melancholy to romance -- with a rich bouquet of lilting songs like 'Zindagi ek safar hai suhana' and 'Mere sapno ki raani' making his movies and characters immortal.
Bollywood's first superstar, the 69-year-old actor's mannerism, his unique style of dancing, dialogue delivery, disarming smile and the signature nod of his head added to his onscreen persona that made many a young woman's heart skip a beat.
Despite his heartthrob status as a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles -- the terminally ill Anand in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, a romantic airforce officer in "Aradhana", a chef in "Bawarchi", a lonely husband in "Amar Prem" and a poor medical student in "Safar".
Khanna, popularly called Kaka, generated hysteria among fans like never before. At the peak of his career, he would be mobbed during public appearances as fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks. They lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in blood.
His predecessors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar broke hearts in their time no doubt, but the hysteria connected with Khanna was unprecedented. Nicknamed 'Kaka', Khanna shot up like a meteor.
Khanna also had a brush with politics after he stopped acting from early nineties. He won the Lok Sabha seat from New Delhi constituency in the 1991 elections.
A series of emotional tragedies in which he acted -- Anand, Safar and even Aradhana, though the tragic protagonist of that film was Sharmila Tagore rather than Khanna -- gave his career a certain weight.
Many of those who remember Khanna and his films actually remember the songs in those films with some songs remaining evergreen four decades after they kept the audience hooked to them.
Pakistan mourns his death
People across Pakistan today mourned the death of Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna, with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf describing him as a "great actor" and others taking to social networking websites to pay tribute to the romantic hero.
In a special message, Prime Minister Ashraf conveyed his condolences at the death of Khanna. He said Khanna was "a great actor whose contribution to the field of films and arts would be long remembered."
Ashraf said Khanna had a "large fan following across the borders and captivated audiences with his excellent acting skills." He said he shared the grief of the bereaved family.
Most TV news channels led their bulletins with extensive reports on Khanna's death in Mumbai at the age of 69 after a prolonged illness. The reports featured songs and clips from Khanna's many hit films, which were equally popular across the border in Pakistan.
Geo News channel, Pakistan's most watched news channel, aired a nearly hour-long tribute to Khanna - including contributions from actors, filmmakers and musicians - within hours of the death of the superstar.
Singer and actor Ali Zafar wrote on Twitter, "Rajesh Khanna - RIP. So many fond memories from his movies and songs."
Leading actor and filmmaker Syed Noor told the media, "Rajesh Khanna was such a huge actor of the subcontinent that he will be remembered by the people for many years to come. The era he reigned over is unlikely to be experienced by any other actor of this subcontinent."
As condolences poured after the demise of Bollywood's first superstar, film directors and actors, several of whom were associated with Khanna, came together to play glowing tributes to the 69-year-old actor and said his name will be written in "golden words."
Shah Rukh Khan, a present day superstar, said Khanna's smile will be missed forever.
"To live with intention and walk to the edge. Play with abandon, choose with no regret. Smile and made us do the same. Sir, you defined our era. Whenever life felt tough u made us feel how love could change it all. RIP," SRK tweeted.
Mumtaz, who acted in 10 films with Khanna, including memorable ones such as 'Ap Ki Kasam', 'Roti', 'Apna Desh' and 'Sachcha Jhootha' said she had lots of memories of working with Rajesh Khanna. 'Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain' and the peppy 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' were two perennial hits from 'Aap ki Kasam.'
"RIP to the 1st king of romance ... Rajesh Khanna," Shahid Kapoor posted on the micro-blogging site.
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai said, "He was the powerhouse of Hindi film industry. I met him on the sets of aaradhna, he had some kind of energy and you will be charged when he is around you. His name will be written in golden words."
"Another of Hindi cinema's giants passes, Rajesh Khanna. Our sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly," Madhuri Dixit tweeted.
Veteran actress Vyjayanthimala said, "His death is a big loss to the industry. It's my bad luck that I didn't have the chance to work with him because he came much later. I remember when he came to Chennai for some film shoot the college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was going to his studio."
Brought superstardom to Hindi films
Rajesh Khanna epitomised a range of emotions on the big screen--from melancholy to romance -- with a rich bouquet of lilting songs like 'Zindagi ek safar hai suhana' and 'Mere sapno ki raani' making his movies and characters immortal.
Bollywood's first superstar, the 69-year-old actor's mannerism, his unique style of dancing, dialogue delivery, disarming smile and the signature nod of his head added to his onscreen persona that made many a young woman's heart skip a beat.
Despite his heartthrob status as a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles -- the terminally ill Anand in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, a romantic airforce officer in "Aradhana", a chef in "Bawarchi", a lonely husband in "Amar Prem" and a poor medical student in "Safar".
Khanna, popularly called Kaka, generated hysteria among fans like never before. At the peak of his career, he would be mobbed during public appearances as fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks. They lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in blood.
His predecessors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar broke hearts in their time no doubt, but the hysteria connected with Khanna was unprecedented. Nicknamed 'Kaka', Khanna shot up like a meteor.
Khanna also had a brush with politics after he stopped acting from early nineties. He won the Lok Sabha seat from New Delhi constituency in the 1991 elections.
A series of emotional tragedies in which he acted -- Anand, Safar and even Aradhana, though the tragic protagonist of that film was Sharmila Tagore rather than Khanna -- gave his career a certain weight.
Many of those who remember Khanna and his films actually remember the songs in those films with some songs remaining evergreen four decades after they kept the audience hooked to them.
Pakistan mourns his death
People across Pakistan today mourned the death of Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna, with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf describing him as a "great actor" and others taking to social networking websites to pay tribute to the romantic hero.
In a special message, Prime Minister Ashraf conveyed his condolences at the death of Khanna. He said Khanna was "a great actor whose contribution to the field of films and arts would be long remembered."
Ashraf said Khanna had a "large fan following across the borders and captivated audiences with his excellent acting skills." He said he shared the grief of the bereaved family.
Most TV news channels led their bulletins with extensive reports on Khanna's death in Mumbai at the age of 69 after a prolonged illness. The reports featured songs and clips from Khanna's many hit films, which were equally popular across the border in Pakistan.
Geo News channel, Pakistan's most watched news channel, aired a nearly hour-long tribute to Khanna - including contributions from actors, filmmakers and musicians - within hours of the death of the superstar.
Singer and actor Ali Zafar wrote on Twitter, "Rajesh Khanna - RIP. So many fond memories from his movies and songs."
Leading actor and filmmaker Syed Noor told the media, "Rajesh Khanna was such a huge actor of the subcontinent that he will be remembered by the people for many years to come. The era he reigned over is unlikely to be experienced by any other actor of this subcontinent."
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