Rajesh Khanna Death Anniversary: How The Bachchan Wave Of 1970s Ruined Bollywood's First Superstar - Rise And Fall Of 'Kaka'

Rajesh Khanna was astounded by the Bachchan phenomenon despite his undeniable talent and contagious charm that he exuded onscreen. He wasn't a pushover or a fluke, but he faded into obscurity when Amitabh Bachchan's angry young man image in Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer (1973) announced the birth of a new sensation.

Rajesh Khanna, who is frequently referred to as the first superstar of India, burst onto the Bollywood scene like a tsunami and for three years dominated the industry. He had not one, not two, not even ten, but as many as fifteen back-to-back blockbusters to his name between 1969 and 1972. The tidal wave then abruptly subsided after reaching previously frightening heights.

Rajesh Khanna: The Beginning Of The End

A virtual outsider to the world of cinema, Khanna appeared out of nowhere. He experienced such astounding success in just five years that new terms like "superstar," "the phenomenon," and "megastar" had to be coined to describe him. He captured the hearts of shouting women, lipstick-adorned vehicles, sick children brought by moms for healing, and so on. After that, the fall was just as stunning as the climb. Seven resounding disasters were as embarrassing as they were puzzling after 15 straight box office successes. Then followed the hush, the withholding of praise and admiration, the recalling of past mistakes, and the stillness.

Rajesh Khanna: Years Of Rejection

Eleven years have passed since Rajesh Khanna (1942–2012) died. He was a lonely and resentful man who endured years of rejection from his followers, who had earlier written him bloody letters expressing their unending love for him. On his death anniversary today, one can question how the same admirers turned out to be unfaithful and fickle enough to switch allegiance to Amitabh Bachchan once he swept the industry.

Amitabh Bachchan: The Angry Young Man

Khanna was astounded by the Bachchan phenomenon despite his undeniable talent and contagious charm that he exuded onscreen. He wasn't a pushover or a fluke, but he faded into obscurity when Bachchan's angry young man image in Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer (1973) announced the birth of a new sensation. Javed Akhtar is the one credited with giving Bachchan the persona of an angry young man, which is thought to have helped reverse the Khanna phenomenon, together with his scriptwriting colleague Salim Khan. With films like Sholay, Deewaar, Don and Zanjeer, the Salim-Javed duo managed to portray the despair and rage of the time.

Salim-Javed Factor

It is unexpected that Khanna did not collaborate with Salim-Javed, who had become one of the most in-demand writers in the 1970s. After all, it was Khanna who, during their trying times, assisted them in obtaining the chance to write the screenplay for the remake of a Tamil hit, Hathi Mere Saathi (1971). It is believed that his alleged starry airs, temper tantrums, and attitude later irritated the star writers. However, later they wrote Zamana (1985), which Khanna produced, but it was a commercial failure. Khanna also, in contrast to other celebrities, steadfastly resisted the pressure to adapt and stuck with the same genre of films. It was already too late when he made up his mind to adopt the action movie trend. During the Bachchan era, action films, dacoit dramas, and smuggler dramas gradually supplanted Khanna's appearances in romantic musicals and family comedies. Khanna was viewed as unsuitable for these films.

Kaka-Big B: Two Different Stars

Khanna was not known for being a disciplined and on-time actor like Bachchan was. He was a chronically late arrival on sets and frequently kept his co-stars waiting for hours. Many producers decided against signing him as a result. As a result, Khanna struggled to find success despite attempting everything, including working with unconventional filmmakers like Basu Bhattacharya (Avishkaar, 1974) and Basu Chatterjee (Chakravyuha, 1978). In addition, he was a very private guy on a personal level and preferred to hang out with a small group of individuals in a field where networking has always been a plus. In retrospect, it appears that he was defeated for a number of reasons, some of which were beyond his control and some of which were undoubtedly his own doing.

Amitabh Left Everyone Else Behind

Khanna was just 32 years old when his fans started to turn against him due to their growing affection for Bachchan. Bachchan then quickly followed up with a string of mega-hits to depose Khanna as the top star. Despite his greatest efforts, he was never able to repeat his success. Bachchan had undoubtedly left everyone else behind at the time and was known as a one-man industry at his height, but Khanna was the top star of his generation who suffered the most due to his incredible popularity.

Although fame can be fleeting, there aren't many instances that are as heartbreaking as Khanna's, a beloved celebrity who went from the top to the bottom in a couple of years. The story made us think of a well-known quote made by Khanna himself, whose rise and fall in Indian cinema are unparalleled. "Ijaate shouratein ulfatein chahatien sab kuch is duniya me rehta nahin, aaj mein hun jahan kal koi aur tha, yeh bhi ek duar hai, woh bhi ek daur tha."