Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood actor, once the heartthrob of millions, 'the Superstar' dies - In...

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Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood actor, once the heartthrob of millions, 'the Superstar' dies
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Agencies : New Delhi, Wed Jul 18 2012, 14:00 hrs

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Bollywood's original superstar Rajesh Khanna, who charmed his way into the hearts of millions of swooning women in the 1960s and 70s, died on Wednesday. 69-year-old Khanna, who shot to superstardom with the 1969 hit 'Aradhana' opposite Sharmila Tagore, passed away at his home, two days after being discharged from Lilavati hospital. He had been ailing since April.

Though a romantic hero, Rajesh Khanna essayed a variety of roles with ease in his illustrious career spanning four decades. His portrayal as a cancer patient in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-film 'Anand'(1971) in which he got the better of Amitabh Bachchan left many teary eyed. Nicknamed Kaka by his adoring fans, he is survived by estranged actress wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinkie, all of whom were by his side when his end came.

Rajesh Khanna's family as also Lilawati Hospital authorities were tightlipped about the nature of the actor's illness. We cannot tell you about the nature of Khanna's illness....Please get in touch with his family, a spokesman for Lilawati who identified himself only as Dr Trivedi said.

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According to sources close to the family, the cremation will take place tomorrow. Vijay, a close friend of Rajesh Khanna who had been interacting with

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the media since his illness, said, Kaka's food intake had gone down over the last few days making him very weak. The news of Rajesh Khanna's death this afternoon spread like wildfire and hundreds of teary-eyed fans descended at his bungalow 'Ashirwad' in Bandra.

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My father-in-law Rajesh Khanna is no more. He has gone to a nice and heavenly place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will pray for him, his actor son-in-law Akshay Kumar told waiting reporters and fans outside 'Ashirwad'. Several Bollywood celebrities including actors Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra and film maker Sahid Khan visited Khanna's home to pay homage to the actor. Video: Rajesh Khanna passes away The veteran actor, who lived a secluded life of late, recently appeared for a film advertisment of a well known brand of fan, his faces and eyes sunken. His real fans were shocked to see him a pale shadow of his former self. Picture Gallery: RIP Rajesh Khanna During his illustrious career Khanna gave 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 and 1972 including 'Aradhana', 'Haathi Mere Saathi', 'Anand' and 'Amar Prem'. Pakistan mourns 'great actor' Rajesh Khanna Debuting with 'Akhri Khat' which he bagged after winning a talent contest in 1965, Khanna went on to star in over 180 films.

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He carved a niche for himself in Bollywood dominated in those days by the troika of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor and the likes of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. However, it was 'Aradhana' in 1969 opposite Sharmila that catapulted him to superstardom overnight. Rajesh Khanna's disarming smile and twinkling eyes made him the darling of millions. Female fans lined the streets he took, covered his car with kisses leaving lipstick marks, married his photographs and wrote love letters to him in blood while young men would sport his hairstyle. Khanna won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for it 14 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. The commercial success of Rajesh Khanna's films declined during 1976 -78. After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed films such as 'Amado', 'Phir Wohi Raat', 'Dard', 'Dhanwan', 'Avtaar' and 'Agar Tum Na Hote'. If Khanna's rise to fame was meteoric, so was his fall from stardom. By the late 80s his charm at the box office had waned but it did not affect his personal charisma. He held a Lok Sabha seat from New Delhi constituency as a Congressman from 1992 to 1996. The actor, who married Dimple Kapadia, 15 years younger to him, in 1973, split with her in 1984 but the couple never divorced. Kapadia was constantly at Khanna's side during his illness. PM condoles Rajesh Khanna's death Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death of yesteryear Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna, he said in his condolence message. Sonia Gandhi, ministers condole Rajesh Khanna's demise Congress president Sonia Gandhi has expressed deep sorrow and grief at the demise of Rajesh Khanna. She expressed her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has also condoled the death of Rajesh Khanna, whom she hailed as a legendary actor. Condoling his demise, Union Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Ambika Soni said Khanna will forever remain the super hero of Indian film industry. It is with great sadness that I pay my respects to the memory of Rajesh Khanna. He has been such a living force in the film world and has left such a long and rich legacy of film tradition. Language was no barrier. His films were seen all over the country. Rajesh Khanna was fighting the illness and I am so sorry that we lost him. Forever he will be a super hero of the Indian film world, said Soni. Plans by her I&B Ministry to hold a retrospective of Rajesh Khanna in the presence of the superstar have failed due to his sudden demise. Soni said her ministry was in touch with him for doing a retrospective on Rajesh Khanna, but said the actor could not confirm the dates due to his illness.

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My ministry has been wanting to organise a retrospective and were asking him for dates of August 17 and 18. We were in touch with him but since he was in and out of the hospital, he could not confirm the dates with us, said Soni. Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah has also condoled Rajesh Khanna's death and said he was not only a great actor but also an MP. His contribution in this industry can never be forgotten. No one can replace him... The country and the world will remember him forever, said Abdullah, while offering his condolences to the bereaved family. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said Khanna was not only a superstar in films, but as an MP was also popular among the lawmakers. Congress MP Priya Dutt described Rajesh Khanna's death as unfortunate as she was following the progress of his health for sometime now. I can just say that Rajesh Khanna has been a legend. He was the original superstar for us... I think the word superstar began with him. He will always live on like that...as a superstar, said Dutt, who said she has grown seeing his films. Soni also said the charismatic and popular actor's era had ushered in the concept of superstardom in the Indian cinema. Very few actors can match the charisma, stardom and popularity that Rajesh Khnna enjoyed. His era initiated the wave of super-stardom in the Indian film industry, a concept which was unknown till then, she said. He gave Indian cinema a whiff of fresh air by projecting the essence of goodness and romance in the characters he portrayed. His films provided melodious music and haunting melodies which became a part of generational change of the 70s, she added. In Rajesh Khanna, the Indian film Industry has lost one of its iconic personalities who gave a new identity to the male protagonist in films, Soni further said. Rajesh Khanna was a symbol of romance: Mamata West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Rajesh Khanna was a symbol of romance and with his death the film world has lost a pole star. Rajesh Khanna was always a symbol of romance. His smiling face and the ability to connect with people at ease had made him popular. We lost a big pole star in the film world today, Mamata said while paying tribute to the Hindi films' first superstar whom, she said, she knew personally. The chief minister said, Rajesh Khanna was a legend and his acting has delighted cinema-lovers across many generations. It's a very sad day and his demise is a colossal loss for the Indian cinema. May his soul rest in peace. Recalling the days when the Bollywood superstar was an MP, Mamata said, I had known him personally. We used to gossip in the Central Hall of Parliament. His smiling face is still fresh in my mind. Reflecting on Rajesh Khanna's lighter side, the chief minister said, I had once invited him for a Trinamool Congress party rally in Kolkata. He had told me in a lighter vein 'I would go well-dressed'.

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The chief minister conveyed her deep condolence to Dimple Kapadia and other members in Rajesh Khanna's family.

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