Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Rajesh Khanna was 'Elvis Presley of India') that was published in Newsband

Rajesh Khanna was ‘Elvis Presley of India’

Music and lyrics and also his powerful acting abilities gave Rajesh Khanna and his films a resonance and longevity. He was extraordinarily popular. His “Punjabi boy next door” looks made him a rage among sections of female fans. A series of emotional tragedies in which he acted – ‘Anand’, ‘Safar’ and even ‘Aradhana’ - gave his career terrific weight.

His acting talents in non-tragic roles were also greatly appreciated. His powerful ability to emote was very evident in one of his films which was ‘Amar Deep’. As a comedy actor, he excelled in ‘Bawarchi’. The man who gave us ‘Amar Prem’ and ‘Namak Haraam’ is no more but he has left behind legacies in the form of movies which are genuine masterpieces.

Who can forget his facial gestures and flick of the chin and so on. When he called Amitabh Bachchan’s character in ‘Anand’ “Babu Moshai” he became more endeared to audiences.

His death is now making people recall Rajesh Khanna phase. Anybody who grew up in the 1970s or followed Hindi cinema in that period has many sweet memories of the Rajesh Khanna phenomenon.

“Kaka”, as the man was nicknamed, shot up like a meteor. His romance with Anju Mahendru, affair with gossip columnist Devyani Chaubal, sudden wedding with the much younger Dimple Kapadia — all of those were fodder for a film press just coming into its own.

In a time when Indian popular culture scarcely got international recognition, BBC made a documentary on Rajesh Khanna’s rock-star status.

His following among young women was the subject of peer envy. Many of these women, and their husbands, are now in their 50s. To them, as well as those 10 or 15 years younger, Rajesh Khanna is a legendary name. Rajesh Khanna phenomenon will be talked about immortally in the books relating to History of Hindi Cinema.

Many of those who remember Rajesh Khanna and his films also remember the songs in those films. To those who listen to Kishore Kumar hits from the 1960s and 1970s, sung for Rajesh Khanna, many songs are evergreen. Rajesh Khanna had an amazing repertoire of such films. Who can forget songs like ‘Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi’ (‘Khamoshi’), ‘Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain’ (‘Aap Ki Kasam’), the peppy ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ (‘Aap Ki Kasam’), ‘Jeevan se bhari teri aankhen’ and ‘Zindagi ka safar’ (‘Safar’) etc. etc.

Thirty or 40 years ago, in an era when mass-production of cassettes was unknown, LPs were expensive and CDs and MP3 players sheer fantasy, Rajesh Khanna became a product of that film economy but yet he beats even the modern actors when it comes to popularity.

This legend called Rajesh Khanna is no more but he has left memories behind which will always remain close to the hearts of his fans who will go on multiplying even in the future. Rajesh Khanna deserves to be called ‘Elvis Presley of India’.