‘There was none, there is none, and there won’t be any like you kakaji’

July 19, 2012 02:26 am | Updated November 17, 2021 03:33 am IST - MUMBAI

A shell-shocked Bollywood on Wednesday mourned the death of Rajesh Khanna, hailing him as the “King of Romance,” “powerhouse”, and a “giant” of the Hindi film industry.

As condolences poured in, film directors and actors, several of whom were associated with Khanna, came together to pay glowing tributes to the actor.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan said Khanna’s smile will be missed forever.

“To live with intention and walk to the edge. Play with abandon, choose with no regret. Smile and make us do the same. Sir, you defined our era. Whenever life felt tough, you made us feel how love could change it all. RIP,” SRK tweeted.

Mumtaz, who acted in 10 films with Khanna, including memorable ones such as Ap Ki Kasam, Roti, Apna Desh and Sachcha Jhootha said she had a lot of memories of working with Rajesh Khanna. ‘Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain’ and the peppy ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ were two perennial hits from ‘Aap ki Kasam.’

“RIP to the 1st king of romance... Rajesh Khanna,” Shahid Kapoor posted on the micro-blogging site.

“Another of Hindi cinema’s giants passes; our sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly,” Madhuri Dixit tweeted.

Veteran actress Vyjayanthimala said: “His death is a big loss to the industry. It’s my bad luck that I didn’t have the chance to work with him because he came much later. I remember when he came to Chennai for some film shooting the college girls went crazy to catch a glimpse of him when he was travelling to his studio.”

“It is a great loss. It is the passing of an era. I think no one has been able to take his place. His love and contribution will always be remembered. He was very professional,” said Hema Malini, who was Khanna’s heroine in films like Prem Nagar, Andaaz and Mehbooba.

Shabana Azmi, who starred opposite Khanna in films such as Amar Deep, Thodi si Bewafai and Avtaar, said, “He was a superstar like none, did 10 films with him. Met him last at Apsara awards.”

Saira Banu, who missed a chance to work with Khanna during his stardom days, said the actor was very humble. “I was supposed to work with him in Choti Bahu, but I couldn’t because I was ill. I shot with him for two days, and found that he was very charming, humble and a shy person.”

Khanna’s contemporary, Manoj Kumar, said “I miss him a lot and I have shared some of the best memories with him.”

“Rajesh Khanna gave us a crash course in romance. He introduced us to a special twinkle in the eye that made us feel good regarding ourselves. RIP,” Anupam Kher wrote.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said “the epitome of superstardom is no more amongst us. There was none, there is none, and there won’t be any like you kakaji. You will be missed.”

“Too young, too early, tragic. RIP Rajesh Khanna. A candle that burned brighter than any star for too short a time,” filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt tweeted, “When we lose a loved one, something within us dies. Our generation loved Rajesh Khanna. Today, a little of us dies with this enigmatic star.”

Melody queen, Lata Mangeshkar, said she was saddened by Khanna’s death. “Aaj humari filmi duniya ke bohot mashhoor kalakar Rajesh Khanna ji, humare bich nahi rahe, mujhe bohot dukh hai, main dimpleji, unki betiyaan aur daamad in sab ke dukh me shamil hun, ishwar rajesh khannaji ki aatma ko shanti pradan kare (Film industry has lost a famous artist today in Rajesh Khanna. I am deeply saddened by his death. I share the grief of Dimpleji, his daughters, and his son-in-law, and pray that his soul rests in peace),” Lata Mangeshkar tweeted.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.