Rajesh Khanna Death Anniversary: ​​How the Bachchan Wave of the 1970s Ruined Bollywood’s First Superstar – The Rise and Fall of ‘Kaka’

Rajesh Khanna, often referred to as India’s first superstar, hit the Bollywood scene like a tsunami and dominated the industry for three years. He had not one, not two, not even ten, but fifteen back-to-back blockbusters between 1969 and 1972. The tidal wave, after reaching earlier terrifying heights, suddenly subsided.

Rajesh Khanna: Beginning of the End

A virtual outsider to the world of cinema, Khanna appeared out of nowhere. He achieved such astonishing success in just five years that new terms such as “superstar,” “the phenomenon” and “megastar” had to be coined to describe him. He captured the hearts of wailing women, lipstick smeared cars, sick children brought in by mothers for treatment, etc. After that, the fall was just as amazing as the climb. Seven blatant disasters after 15 consecutive box office successes were as embarrassing as they were shocking. This was followed by silence, stopping praise and admiration, remembering past mistakes, and calmness.

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Rajesh Khanna: Years of Rejection

Eleven years have passed since the death of Rajesh Khanna (1942-2012). He was a lonely and grumpy man who endured years of rejection from his followers, who had previously written bloody letters to him expressing their undying love for him. Today on his death anniversary, one can question how the same fans turned out to be so fickle and fickle that they changed allegiance after Amitabh Bachchan dominated the industry.

Amitabh Bachchan: The Angry Young Man

Despite Khanna’s undeniable talent and infectious on-screen charm, Bachchan was taken aback by the phenomenon. He was not an exuberant or clumsy figure, but he faded into oblivion when Bachchan’s angry young man image in Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer (1973) announced the birth of a new sensation. Javed Akhtar is credited with giving Bachchan the angry young man persona, who, along with his screenwriting colleague Salim Khan, is believed to have helped reverse the Khanna phenomenon. With films like Sholay, Deewaar, Don and Zanjeer, the Salim-Javed duo managed to portray the frustration and anger of the times.

Salim-Javed Factor

It is unexpected that Khanna did not collaborate with Salim-Javed, who had become one of the most sought-after writers in the 1970s. Eventually, it was Khanna who helped him get the chance to write the screenplay for the remake of the Tamil hit, Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), during his difficult times. It is believed that his perceived starry-eyed airs, temper tantrums and attitude later irked the star writers. However, he later wrote Zamana (1985), which was produced by Khanna, but was a commercial failure. Unlike other celebrities, Khanna also staunchly resisted the pressure of adaptation and stuck to films of the same genre. By the time he made up his mind to embrace the action movie trend, it was too late. During the Bachchan era, action films, dacoit dramas and smuggler dramas gradually replaced Khanna’s appearances in romantic musicals and family comedies. Khanna was considered unsuitable for these films.

Kaka-Big B: Two different stars

Khanna was not known to be as disciplined and punctual as Bachchan. He used to arrive very late on the set and often kept his co-stars waiting for hours. As a result many producers decided not to sign him. As a result, Khanna struggled to find success despite trying everything, including working with unconventional filmmakers such as Basu Bhattacharya (Avishkar, 1974) and Basu Chatterjee (Chakravyuh, 1978). Also, he was a very private person on a personal level and preferred to hang out with a small group of individuals in an area where networking has always been beneficial. In retrospect, it appears that he was defeated for a number of reasons, some of which were beyond his control and some undoubtedly of his own making.

Amitabh left everyone behind

Khanna was just 32 when his fans turned against him because of his growing affection for Bachchan. Bachchan then launched a series of mega-hits to oust Khanna as the top star. Despite his best efforts, he was never able to replicate his success. Bachchan undoubtedly outshone everyone else at the time and was known to be a one-man industry at his peak, but Khanna was the top star of his generation who suffered the most due to his incredible popularity.

Though fame can be fleeting, there aren’t many examples as heartwarming as that of Khanna, a beloved celebrity who went from top to bottom in a matter of years. The story made us think of a famous quote by Khanna whose rise and fall is unique in Indian cinema. “Ijate shaurtein ulftein chahtein everything doesn’t last in this world, today I am where someone else was yesterday, this is also a blessing, that too was a time.”