The jury may still be out, deliberating on the prudence of the government to posthumously confer India’s highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, to the veteran actor Vinod Khanna, who died on 27th April 2017, considering that previous winners have included those whose contribution may seem more significant than Khanna’s – Shyam Bengal, Mrinal Sen, Gulzar, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and other eminent personalities. But while the debates and discussions can go on till the cows come home, Khanna’s immense contribution to the world of Hindi cinema cannot be belittled or ignored
Surprisingly, for someone bestowed with looks that were worth dying for (born in a Punjabi Hindu family in Peshawar, now in Pakistan), and oodles of talent, he did not get instant access as a hero in Hindi films, even after he was spotted and selected by Sunil Dutt in 1968. He had to settle for the role of anti-hero in the 1968 film, Man Ka Meet after which he did side/antagonist roles in films like Purab Aur Paschim , Sacha-Jhootha and Aan Milo Sajna .
However, it was with the 1971 super hit classic, Mera Gaon, Mera Desh (some would say a precursor to Sholay, 1975 ) that Khanna came into his own. As Jabbar Singh, a battle-hardened dacoit spreading terror in the Chambal heartland of Rajasthan, he looks credible and is able to hold his own against the formidable Dharmendra. His persona is sufficient to evoke fear in the villagers which he regularly plunders. One cannot undermine the fact, that this was a phase when the Rajesh Khanna wave was spreading like wildfire across the country, and it was difficult, if not outright impossible, for anyone to establish a niche for himself in the space.
As has been proved on several occasions, the Hindi film industry is very rigid, and somewhat ruthless, when it comes to straitjacketing actors in a type of role. Once entrapped, talented actors have spent their lifetime trying unsuccessfully to break free – Lalita Pawar, Keshto Mukherjee, Asrani – are some names which come to mind. However, it is here that Khanna flew over the coop, as despite having given exemplary performances as an anti-hero in some films in the earlier stages of his career, he could change gears and become a mainstream hero.
Needles to mention, this shift was made possible by Gulzar’s superb film (also his directorial debut) on student unrest, Mere Apne (1971), where Khanna was pitied against a smouldering Shatrughan Sinha (Chhenu). As the two protagonists slugged it out on the streets, issues of student politics and role of mainstream politicians in fishing in troubled waters was dealt with brutal honesty by Gulzar. And Khanna (as Shyam), with a soft demeanour, and a love interest, was a perfect foil to Sinha’s over-the-top approach.
From here on, he grasped the opportunity to enrich his oeuvre through single hero films, which, though not entirely offbeat, could not be deemed as essentially mainstream also. His association with Gulzar turned a new leaf with the 1973 flick Achanak , which was based on the true life story of K.M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra. His restrained performance as Kawas Nanavati, the real-life Navy officer facing death row was critically acclaimed. The very next year he changed gears once again, with Imtihaan , which was different from his earlier action movie hero image. In this, he played the role of a reticent but fable college professor who is up against an unruly class and management. With Tanjua, a differently-abled female lead, he gave a restrained and evocative performance.
Thereafter came a slew of films in different genres with top leading ladies of the day, including Rekha, Neetu Singh, Rakhee, Praveen Babi and Shabana Azmi amongst others.
Over the next few years, his association with Amitabh Bachchan reached dizzying heights, both having worked together in films like Amar Akbar Anthony , Muqadar Ka Sikander , Hera-Pheri , Khoon Paseena , Zameer and Parvarish , with each film setting the box office jingling. Old time film fans will remember that at this point in time there was not much gap between the stature of Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna. Actually, Khanna was giving Bachchan a run for his money as the fight for the top slot was now restricted to these two only. Besides, Khanna had successful films like The Burning Train and Firoz Khan’s opus, Qurbani under his belt.
Sadly, just when it seemed that Khanna was ahead in the race for the top slot, he took complete sanyaas from the film industry and sought spiritual solace with Osho. Unfortunately, when he returned in 1986 after the long spiritual soiree, much water had flown down the beaches of Juhu, and public mood and perceptions had changed dramatically with the advent of new kids on the block.
And although he was there for about twenty years more, there was nothing flattering to write about him on the acting front. Although he did fairly well for himself on the political arena, becoming a four- time MP from Gurdaspur.
In hindsight, one can only conjecture about the course Hindi film industry might have taken had Khanna not left it at the peak of his career. In any case, one does miss the larger than life presence of a good actor on the silver screen.
