Today, July 18, is the fourth death anniversary of the first greatest Superstar of the Indian film industry. In fact, its very first and only superstar.
It is a matter of great pride for people of the Doon valley and Mussoorie that many a time, Khanna stayed here for long spells to shoot for his films that had this part of the country as their backdrop.
When the superstar passed away on this day in the year 2012, it was indeed a sad occasion for the people of Dehradun and Mussoorie who have vivid memories of the actor when he shot for three of his films in Doon and Mussoorie –two of them in the seventies and one in the eighties.In fact, Rishikesh also 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. Fans waited for hours just to have a glimpse of this star who was no less than a god for them. Such was the adulation he evoked. It was something unprecedented. No other actor had created this kind of magic and none has done so since.
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 “Baa” in Ekta Kapoor’s soap titled “Kyunki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu thhi.”
There are a number of scenes in Karm which show us the lovely campus of Hampton Court School(CJM) .The Mohkampur area of the Doon valley (The railway crossing) is also quite recognizable. 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.The crystal clear blue waters of the Ganga create a beauty which posterity can enjoy by watching this Khanna starrer.
Schools of Doon valley , Mussoorie and Nainital have featured in many other Hindi films as they are in scenic locales and have beautiful buildings and infrastructure.
Wynberg Allen school ,one of the oldest 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 heavenly in the film.
The Nainital Boat Club is another favourite location with film makers. There are many other movies which have a song or two at the Club or the lake. One was the 1960s classic “Waqt” which shows Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and their group of college friends on a college trip to Nainital .
People of Doon and Mussoorie will always get nostalgic when they will watch the films of their favourite superstar showing their cities in the background. On this occasion, all memories related to this inimitable star come rushing back and make one wonder whether any such personality will ever again be seen on thye silver screen.