Rajesh Khanna was keen on remaking ‘Aradhana’

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: In the age of remakes, Rajesh Khanna also had expressed his desire to remake his classic film `Aradhana`. Ludhiana resident Kumar Sahil claimed that the actor was keen on producing the remake and cast him in the lead. Sahil happened to share screen space with Kaka in 2009 in a film called `Kash Mere Hote`. "He had planned to produce a remake of his super hit `Aradhana` with me in the lead, " said Sahil to a daily. Sahil`s father Gulshan Kumar, a businessman, was in constant touch with the late superstar till last week. Kumar said, "He had decided not to alter the original lyrics and music and had told me he would take Akshay`s help to promote the film." The father-son duo got introduced to Khanna in 2007 while filming for ‘Kash Mere Hote’ and admits that the news of his death came as a shock. "He used to call me `Prince of Ludhiana` and wanted to add the flamboyance of this city to Bollywood," recalled Sahil. Sahil also stated that it was Khanna who took him to Mumbai and was willing to produce a film with him in the lead. "Kakaji was like my father and I would always miss his warm hug and scolding. He wanted to make a film with me and Akshay Kumar in the cast, but the latter`s tight schedule and dates were a problem. He even introduced me to Akshay over a lunch meeting in Mumbai. I stayed with him whenever I went to Mumbai and even he stayed with us when he came to Ludhiana in 2009. But, when I last called him around two-and-half months ago, he took five minutes to recollect everything and identify me due to his poor health," Sahil said.