Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna, his life and biography

Rajesh Khanna , born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. Dubbed the "First Superstar of Indian cinema", Rajesh Khanna consecutively starred in a record 15 successful films between 1969 and 1971. Rajesh Khanna was the highest-paid actor in Hindi cinema throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Rajesh Khanna accolades include four BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards, and in 2013, Rajesh Khanna was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour.

Khanna made Rajesh Khanna debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat which was India's first official Oscar Entry in 1967. In 2005, Rajesh Khanna was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award on the 50th anniversary of the Filmfare Awards. Rajesh Khanna was a Member of Parliament in the 10th Lok Sabha from New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency between 1992 and 1996, elected in the 1992 New Delhi by-election as an Indian National Congress candidate. Rajesh Khanna was married to Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, eight months before her debut film Bobby was released and had two daughters from the marriage. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is an actress who is married to actor Akshay Kumar, while they also have a younger daughter Rinke Khanna.

Khanna died on 18 July 2012, after a period of illness. Rajesh Khanna has been honoured with a stamp and statue in Rajesh Khanna likeness, and a road renamed after him by the Prime Minister of India. In 2014, Rajesh Khanna biography Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar by Yasser Usman was published by Penguin Books. In 2018, a one kilometre fitness trail in Lajpat Nagar National Park was named after Khanna, which was inaugurated by Rajesh Khanna wife Dimple Kapadia.