Veteran Bollywood actor-turned politician Vinod Khanna passed away on Thursday at the age of 70. Mr. Khanna, a sitting Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur in Punjab, was suffering from advanced bladder carcinoma and had been hospitalised since April 5 following severe dehydration.
A spokesperson for Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, where the actor was admitted, said that members of the Khanna family — sons Rahul and Sakshi, wife Kavita and daughter Shraddha — were present when the actor breathed his last at 11.20 a.m.
As news of his death spread, a team of policemen was deployed at the hospital to control the gathering of fans and media. At 2.15 p.m. the family left the hospital for their Malabar Hill residence, where extended family members and a large number of fans had already gathered.
A still from 'Inkaar'. Vinod Khanna began his career by playing negative roles before he got his first big break in 'Hum Tum Aur Woh' in 1971.
His role as an army officer-turned-fugitive in 'Achanak' (1973) earned him widespread acclaim. The movie was based on the Nanavati case, which was also the inspiration behind Rustom, an Akshay Kumar starrer, that released last year.
A still from 'Amar Akbar Antony'. The movie marked a watershed movement in Bollywood with its central theme of secularism and pluralistic nationalism. Between 1972 and 1982, Vinod Khanna waas part of over 47 multi-hero starrers such as 'Hera Pheri', 'Zameer' and 'Amar Akbar Antony'.
Photo shows stills from the movies Nayagan and its Hindi remake Dayavan (1988).
Between 1986 and 1996, Khanna was paid higher than the actors he shared screen space with such as Rishi Kapoor, Govinda and Salman Khan. Prominent films from the era include 'Dayavan', 'Chandini', 'Mahadev', etc.
In 1997, Vinod Khanna joined the Bhartiya Janata Party and was elected from Gurdaspur constituency, Punjab in the next year's Lok Sabha poll. He represented the constituency three times.
Vinod Khanna served as the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism in Vajpayee Cabinet in 2002. He was soon shifted to the more important Ministry of External Affairs after six months.
As a Union Minister of State for Tourism in 2002, Vinod Khanna is seen here inaugurating the Bodh Meditation Centre in Kuchwada, Madhya Pradesh. The occasion marked the birth anniversary of Acharya Rajneesh aka Osho.
An ardent devotee, Vinod Khanna temporarily quit the film industry in 1982 to spend time in Rajneeshpuram, Oregon at the behest of his spiritual guru, Osho. However, he returned to Bollywood in 1986.
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Among the Bollywood personalities who visited the Malabar Hill home were director duo Abbas Mastan and film director J.P. Dutta.
The final journey of Mr. Khanna began a little after 4.45 pm.
A large number of Bollywood personalities had already gathered at the Worli crematorium.
Among those present to bid adieu to Mr. Khanna were Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek, Rishi Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Gulzar, Randhir Kapoor, and former Union Minister Praful Patel and president of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee Sanjay Nirupam.
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