The Untold Story
Rajesh Khanna
Born Jatin Khanna
Actor · Politician · Hindi cinema · 1942 – 2012
India's first superstar — women married his photograph, then the whole country moved on.
For a few years around 1970, Rajesh Khanna was the biggest thing Indian cinema had ever seen — the original 'superstar,' worshipped with a fan hysteria that has never been matched. Then the wave that carried him up receded almost as fast as it had risen, and the man who once had fifteen straight hits spent decades watching a younger India forget him. His is the definitive story of the summit, and the long descent.
- Bollywood
- First superstar
- Fall from grace
- 1970s
Watch the 90-second story
- Born
- 29 December 1942 · Amritsar, Punjab, British India
- Died
- 18 July 2012 · aged 69 · cancer
- Era
- 1966–2012 · Hindi cinema
- Known for
- Actor, Politician
Jatin, adopted and ambitious
He was born Jatin Khanna in Amritsar in 1942 and raised by relatives who adopted him. Determined to act, he entered the 1965 United Producers–Filmfare all-India talent contest — a nationwide hunt for a new face — and won it, beating thousands of hopefuls. It was his ticket into the film industry, and he took the screen name Rajesh Khanna.
His debut, Aakhri Khat (1966), went nowhere near stardom. For three years he was just another struggling newcomer. Then came 1969.
The superstar phenomenon
Aradhana (1969) changed everything. It made Rajesh Khanna an overnight sensation and set off a run of success that is still cited as the greatest hot streak in Hindi-film history — a string of consecutive hits (widely counted as fifteen solo successes) between 1969 and 1972.
The adulation that followed became the stuff of legend: fans wrote him letters in their own blood, women covered his car in lipstick kisses and are said to have married his photograph, and crowds mobbed him everywhere. He was the first star the press ever called a 'superstar' — a soft-spoken romantic idol with a nation at his feet.
Marriage, and the tide going out
In March 1973, at the peak of his fame, the 30-year-old married the 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia, just as she was about to debut in Bobby. Around the same time, the ground was shifting beneath him. The rise of Amitabh Bachchan and the 'angry young man' changed what audiences wanted, and the romantic superstar began to slip.
He and Dimple separated in 1982, though they never divorced. The hits grew rarer, the image dated. For a man who had owned the decade, the long, public cooling of that love affair with the audience was its own kind of tragedy.
Politics, twilight, and a last goodbye
He reinvented himself in politics, winning election as a Congress Member of Parliament from New Delhi. His later years were shadowed by a palimony dispute with his companion Anita Advani and by the sense of a giant the industry had moved past.
Rajesh Khanna died of cancer on 18 July 2012, aged 69, at his bungalow Aashirwad. By Amitabh Bachchan's account, his last words were 'Time is up, pack up.' The first superstar had, at the end, the last word.
Controversies & scandals
The episodes that defined — and sometimes derailed — the career, laid out with what was alleged, what was proven, and what stayed a rumour.
- Legal case2012–2013
The Anita Advani palimony claim
After his death, his companion Anita Advani went public with a palimony claim, saying she had been his live-in partner and carer in his final years — a dispute with his family that played out in the press and courts.
Read the full story → - Disputed1973–1982
Marriage to Dimple Kapadia and the separation
He married the teenage Dimple Kapadia at the peak of his fame, ending his high-profile relationship with Anju Mahendru; the marriage produced two daughters but broke down by 1982 amid reports of his affairs.
Read the full story →
Life & career timeline
- Born in AmritsarBorn Jatin Khanna; raised by relatives who adopted him.
- 1965Wins the talent contestWins the United Producers–Filmfare all-India talent hunt.
- 1966Debut in Aakhri KhatHis first film; stardom is still years away.
- 1969Aradhana and superstardomBecomes an overnight sensation and India's first 'superstar.'
- 1969–72The greatest streakA run widely counted as fifteen consecutive solo hits — an unmatched record.
- 1973Marries Dimple KapadiaWeds the 16-year-old star-to-be at the height of his fame.
- 1982SeparationHe and Dimple separate, though they never divorce.
- 1990sMember of ParliamentReinvents himself as a Congress MP from New Delhi.
- Death at 69Dies of cancer at his bungalow Aashirwad.
Essential Rajesh films
The roles that defined the career — tap through for where to stream each in India.
Aradhana1969 · as Arun / SurajThe film that made him a superstar overnight.
Anand1971 · as Anand SehgalHis most beloved role — a dying man who won't stop smiling.
Amar Prem1972 · as Anand BabuA tender classic of the superstar years.
Kati Patang1970 · as KamalA defining romantic hit of his streak.
Bawarchi1972 · as RaghuHrishikesh Mukherjee's warm-hearted favourite.
Namak Haraam1973 · as SomnathOpposite the rising Amitabh Bachchan.
In pictures
Rajesh Khanna — frequently asked questions
- Why is Rajesh Khanna called India's first superstar?
- After Aradhana (1969) he set off the greatest hot streak in Hindi-film history — widely counted as fifteen consecutive solo hits between 1969 and 1972 — amid unprecedented fan hysteria. He was the first Indian actor the press dubbed a 'superstar.'
- What was Rajesh Khanna's real name?
- He was born Jatin Khanna in Amritsar in 1942 and adopted the screen name Rajesh Khanna after winning a national talent contest in 1965.
- Were Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia divorced?
- They married in 1973 and separated in 1982, but they never formally divorced and remained married until his death.
- When did Rajesh Khanna die?
- He died of cancer on 18 July 2012, aged 69, at his Mumbai bungalow Aashirwad. He had also served as a Congress Member of Parliament from New Delhi.
Sources
This page is an informational tribute drawn from public reporting and interviews. Sensitive or disputed incidents are described as alleged, and the canonical account always rests with the sources above.
