December 29 is the birth anniversary of the first and the greatest star of the Indian film Industry - Rajesh Khanna. There have been several stars after him but none could shine as bright and impact people as he did. Sadly, He died in 2012.
He evoked feelings that knew no bounds, especially among young girls who, it is said, wrote letters to him with their blood! There has been no other star in the industry, experiencing such a meteoric rise within such a short span of time, delivering 17 blockbuster hits from 1969 to 1973. People will forever remember this charismatic superstar with whose advent the word “superstar” came into use in our country. It was with Aradhana in 1969 that this star was born overnight and became the heartthrob of the country. Before the screening of the film, nobody knew who he was. As soon as the film was released, people wanted to know all about this amazing actor. The craze he generated among people of all ages was unprecedented in the history of Indian cinema and has not been surpassed since.
When Rajesh Khanna passed away in July 2012, it was indeed a sad day for the people of Dehradun and Mussoorie who have vivid memories of the actor when he shot for three of his films-two of them in the seventies and one in the eighties. In fact, Rishikesh featured predominantly in his film “Karm.” Whenever he came to Doon or Mussoorie, he was at the peak of his career and people of the two towns exhibited the craze for him which was prevalent throughout the country.
The great actor’s interaction with students and staff of two of Mussoorie’s well-known schools namely Hampton Court and Wynberg Allen, during the making of Karm in the seventies and Ghar ka Chirag in the eighties respectively endeared him to them. In Karm, the principal of the school was actress Sudha Shivpuri who later appeared as “Ba” in Ekta Kapoor’s soap titled “Kyunki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu thhi.” There are a number of scenes in Karm which shows the lovely campus of Hampton Court School (CJM). The Mohkampur area of the Doon valley (The railway crossing) is also quite recognisable. A considerable part of the film has been shot in Rishikesh which appears pristine and serene in the film-as it must have been in the seventies.
Wynberg Allen School of Mussoorie, one of the oldest educational institutions in the region, appeared in Rajesh Khanna’s 1989 film Ghar Ka Chiraag which was based on the older film “Ek Phool, Do Maali” where Balraj Sahni plays the role which Khanna plays in Ghar Ka Chiraag. Rajesh Khanna’s film “Kati Patang” shows us Nainital in all its glory and at length. And for once, Nainital has been called Nainital and not by some other name! The song “Jis Gali Mein Tera Ghar na ho Baalma” has Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh boating on the Nainital lake which looks absolutely beautiful in the film.
On this occasion, the Doon valley pays its respects to the superstar, who would have been seventy two years old had he been alive today. Many stars have visited Doon and Mussoorie but the memories associated with this magnetic personality cannot be ever dimmed from the hearts of his diehard fans and admirers. For them nobody can be like Kaka or Rajesh Khanna.