Rajesh Khanna Birth Anniversary: 7 lesser-known facts about Bollywood’s first ‘Superstar’

It is legendary actor Rajesh Khanna’s 80th birth anniversary today, on December 29. Here are some unknown facts about the late actor, fondly called ‘Kaka’ that his fans cannot miss out on.

Born on December 29, 1942, had Rajesh Khanna would be alive today, he would have turned 80 today. However, while he may not be present among us anymore, but his memories live within each of his fans even today. Rajesh Khanna was the first actor who was given the title of ‘Superstar’ for his gigantic fan following and the back-to-back films that the actor gave throughout his career. Interestingly, the actor shares his birthday with Twinkle Khanna, his elder daughter who also turns 48 today. Presenting to you are seven lesser-known facts about ‘Kaka’ that made him the superstar that he was!

It was in the year 1965 when Filmfare and United Producers jointly organized a talent hunt. It was this talent hunt wherein Rajesh Khanna was first noticed, further marking his entry into the Hindi film industry.

Like many Bollywood actors, Rajesh Khanna had also changed his name. He was born as ‘Jatin Khanna’ but it was on the behest of his uncle that he decided his name from ‘Jatin’ to ‘Rajesh’. His name gained so much popularity back in the days, thanks to his stardom, that most parents kept their children's name after his in the 1980s.

Given his popularity and craze among women during his era, Rajesh Khanna had received several letters from women that were written in blood. Not just that, his white fiat would be turned into red colour with lipstick marks, every time the actor left his car alone.

There have been reports that Rajesh Khanna and actress Anju Mahendru were very much in love with each other. Theirs was a relationship that went on for roughly seven years. Rajesh Khanna wanted to marry the actress but since she was not ready for it, the two parted ways.

Eight months before her Bollywood debut ‘Bobby’, Dimple Kapadia opposite Rishi Kapoor, tied the knot with Rajesh Khanna. Dimple Kapadia was a budding actress when she married Rajesh Khanna. She was also a huge fan of his. The couple has two daughters – Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna.

Legendary singers RD Burman and Kishore Kumar were very thick friends of Rajesh Khanna. The actor shared a great bond with the two.

The popularity and stardom of Rajesh Khanna were such that a film was also made on him by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The film was titled 'Bombay Superstar in 1974’. Cut to present, actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi is in talks with Farah Khan to shoot a biopic of Rakesh Khanna’s life.