Rajesh Khanna is considered to be India’s first superstar. The legendary actor’s stardom spanned for years. And filmmakers used to be lined up outside his house to make a film with him. While directors and producers wanted to cast him in their films, actors idolised him and many wished to share screen space with him. So here are more details about how Rajesh Khanna became the top casting priority in every filmmaker’s bucketlist..
The Indian film industry has witnessed several stars and superstars since its inception. But very few actors and filmmakers have been able to amass stardom the way late actor Rajesh Khanna did. All thanks to his incredible acting skills, Rajesh Khanna bagged the honour of being called India’s first superstar. Rajesh Khanna is the only Bollywood actor who delivered 15 back-to-back hits on the silver screen.
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To this day, no other Indian actor has experienced stardom the way Rajesh Khanna did. Over the years, many stories about Khanna’s stardom have been discussed and published. There was a time when filmmakers used to visit Rajesh Khanna’s bungalow Aashirwad and sit on the floor to procure dates for their project.
Superstar Rajesh Khanna’s popularity even led to a famous phrase being coined and chimed, “Upar aaka, neeche kaka”. ‘Kaka’ was a nickname given to the late Rajesh Khanna. Right from his style to his films everything that was associated with Khanna was guaranteed to be profitable. In an interview, Mehmood Jr. also revealed some interesting details.
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Mehmood revealed that Rajesh Khanna’s bungalow had a huge and spacious living room. Hence, many filmmakers used to visit his home every day to wow him with their scripts and get him onboard for their films. No other actor back then could accommodate so many filmmakers at the same time. Rajesh Khanna according to Mehmood used to sit on a table and listen to all the guests and entertain them.
Apart from Rajesh Khanna’s acting skills, many believed his bungalow Aashirwad was the lucky charm for him, since Rajesh Khanna reached the peak of success when he was living in this bungalow. Moreover, producers and filmmakers also lined up in the same bungalow’s luxurious and spacious living room. Even though Rajesh Khanna is not with us anymore, he has been immortalised through many such stories.
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