Rajesh Khanna stays one in every of Hindi cinema’s most iconic stars, however his journey to superstardom additionally got here with its share of controversies. Veteran actor Tej Sapru has now recalled an sudden incident when the actor as soon as abused him on a movie set. Sapru additionally revealed that Khanna later apologised and made amends. He described Rajesh Khanna as a person of contradictions who may very well be smug on the top of his fame but exceptionally beneficiant.
Talking on The Rediff Podcast, Tej Sapru mentioned, “Rajesh Khanna had conceitedness. It occurs once you’re on the peak of your profession. Greater than you, it is usually the folks round you whose heads get turned. That occurs. However on the similar time, I’ve by no means seen a extra beneficiant man than him.”
The actor went on to recount an incident that passed off once they have been capturing for a movie in Kashmir. “There was an incident after we have been working collectively. I immediately heard somebody abusing me from behind. I circled and noticed that it was Kaka ji (Rajesh Khanna),” he mentioned.
With out going into the main points of what triggered the outburst, Sapru recalled that Rajesh Khanna was with one of many movie’s actresses when the incident occurred. He mentioned the episode affected him deeply, significantly as a result of he had at all times seemed as much as Khanna and held him in excessive regard as a senior actor.
“His first movie was with my father D.Okay. Sapru. I’ve immense respect for him. Not only for him—for anybody senior to me or anybody who has labored with my father. Whether or not they’re a much bigger actor or a smaller one, I by no means sit on a chair till they’re seated. Even after giving him a lot respect, I do not know what occurred that he abused me from behind. I used to be very upset,” he added.
The next day, whereas the group was filming a chase sequence within the snow, Sapru was nonetheless upset about what had occurred. He intentionally prevented greeting the actor. Nevertheless, as soon as the shot was over, Rajesh Khanna approached him and made an effort to resolve their variations.
Sapru defined, “He got here as much as me and mentioned, ‘Hey, tall boy… neglect it. I replied, ‘Sir, you abused me with none cause. You have been the one who had advised me we have been simply having enjoyable.’ “He mentioned, ‘It occurred. Overlook it. Come.’ Then he requested me to return to his resort with him.”
Whereas Sapru was staying at one other resort, he accepted Rajesh Khanna’s invitation after wrapping up the day’s shoot. “I advised him, ‘Sir, I will come to your resort. I am staying some place else. I normally clean up within the night as a result of I do not also have a correct washroom in my room.’ From there, he took me alongside, and we spent the entire evening consuming and consuming collectively. He realised that what he had mentioned was incorrect,” he mentioned.
Reflecting on Rajesh Khanna’s profession, Sapru mentioned he felt the actor’s conceitedness might have performed a task in his decline. He in contrast the star together with his contemporaries Dharmendra and Jeetendra, suggesting that their differing approaches to stardom might have influenced the trajectories of their careers.
“I believe his downfall got here earlier due to that conceitedness, particularly when in comparison with Dharam ji (Dharmendra) and Jeetu ji (Jeetendra). That is how I felt,” he mentioned.
After setting an unmatched report of 15 consecutive solo blockbusters between 1969 and 1972, Rajesh Khanna’s profession suffered an unprecedented and fast decline beginning within the late Nineteen Seventies. The actor did movies like Mehbooba, Bundal Baaz, Anurodh and Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, which crashed on the field workplace.
