Rajesh Khanna passed away Wednesday following prolonged illness. His actor son-in-law Akshay Kumar says he has gone to a "nice and heavenly place".

"I regret to inform everybody my father-in-law Mr. Rajesh Khanna is no more. He has gone to a nice and heavenly place, we are happy about that. I hope everybody who is watching this can just say a small little prayer for him," Akshay told reporters here.

Kaka, as he was popularly known, is survived by wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinke. He was 69.

He had been battling with health issues for a long time, and was admitted to the hospital in the last one month. His funeral will be held 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The film fraternity, country's political leaders and fans remembered with great fondness the "phenomenon" that he was.

Several celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan, Anu Malik, Vindu Dara Singh, Sajid Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan turned up at the actor's Bandra residence Ashirwad.

The news of Rajesh Khanna's death came in just a week after veteran wrestler-actor Dara Singh's demise July 12.

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar told us on phone: "I could not believe that he is no more with us. Earlier it was Dara Singh, now it is Rajesh. I feel god is upset with the industry. Rajesh was a different personality. He made a mark for himself through his hard work."


In an era long before this age of instant connect of mobile phones and internet, Rajesh Khanna was the man who sparked a frenzy never seen before and never since, not even by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.

His very name spelt magic in the 1970s. He sparked hysteria, particularly amongst his legions of women fans, who would line the road for a glimpse, chant his name, cover his car with lipstick marks and even write him letters in blood. They got married to his photograph, cut their finger, let the blood flow and applied 'sindoor'.

Truly, "O mere di ke chain"!

Kaka, as he was popularly known, was one of the highest paid actors of his time, his record of consecutive solo super hits still unbroken. Who can forget the years between 1970-1979 when he starred in mega hits like "Safar", "Kati Patang", "Sachaa Jhutha", "Aan Milo Sajna", "Anand", "Amar Prem" and "Mere Jeevan Saathi". Ever the urbane, suave romantic who wooed like few others.

Glory and fame galore came his way with the two 1969 films - "Aradhana" and "Do Raaste" - where he teamed up with two of his best co-stars, Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz, respectively. Both the films were super hits. Hindi film's first superstar was born.


Between "Aradhana" in 1969 and "Prem Kahani" in 1975, Rajesh enjoyed god-like status.

It was all about charisma - a certain something that went beyond the art of acting. He had that unique way of delivering a dialogue, of crinkling his eyes and that interesting head tilt that were all his own - and designed to get fans swooning.

Describing the charm of Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh once said: "I got famous purely because I was working with Rajesh Khanna in 'Anand'. People asked me questions like, 'How is he to look at? What does he do?'"

The mega story had a small beginning in Amritsar. Born Jatin Arora on Dec 29, 1942, he was adopted and raised by foster parents.

He went from being Jatin to Rajesh, thanks to his uncle who changed his name, when he decided to join films.

In 1965, the journey to filmdom started after he won the All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare. He made his debut with "Aakhri Khat" in 1966.

It was a fairly easy road to superstardom after that.


He became the heartthrob of the nation, singing timeless melodies like "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani..." in "Aradhana", "Zindagi Ek Safar" in "Andaaz" or "Yeh Shaam Mastani" in "Kati Patang". Singer Kishore Kumar and composer R.D. Burman were amongst his closest friends.

In his four-decade career, he appeared in about 160 films, of which 106 had him as the solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects.

Rajesh proved his mettle in offbeat films too. He teamed up with Hrishikesh Mukherjee for the critically acclaimed "Bawarchi" and "Namak Haram". The quintessential romantic also did the intense "Avishkar", directed by Basu Bhattacharya.

But then age caught up and the star began fading away.

He moved to television and played the main lead in two serials - "Ittefaque" and "Apne Paraye" during 2001-02 and also featured in "Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi" between 2008-09.

The decline to B-grade films was inevitable. There was also the sorry "Wafa" with Laila Khan, who was found murdered this July.

He dabbled in politics, being Congress MP from the New Delhi constituency from 1991-1996.

Like the Hollywood legends of yore, the personal life also had a larger than life dimension.

He fell in love with Dimple Kapadia, who was only 16 and whose first film "Bobby" was yet to release. She was 15 years younger to him but the pull was strong and they got married after a whwhirwind romance in 1973.

It was the stuff of tabloid headlines. They had two daughters Twinkle and Rinke. The marriage lasted only 11 years.


It was a lonely life for Rajesh after that. He disappeared from the headlines and appeared to be a shadow of his former self in his rare public appearances.

But the family came together in his last days. His estranged wife was the one who took care of him during his illness. Son-in-law Akshay Kumar was also a great comfort.

Rajesh reappeared in an ad a few months before his death, and once again became the talk of town - he was clearly unwell but the zest in his voice was intact as he intoned "Babumoshai" from his much loved film "Anand".

Like Anand from the film, the man is gone. But the memories will live on.

Here's what the celebrities had to say:

Anupam Kher: Rajesh Khanna gave us a crash course in romance. He introduced us to a special twinkle in the eyeS that made us feel good about ourselves. Rajesh Khanna taught us how to smile. He added dignity to our concept of Romance. His songs made us forget our daily struggles of life. Rajesh Khanna was larger than life. He was a King who gave Indian Cinema glamour, style, and substance. We will Miss you Sir. RIP.

Madhuri Dixit-Nene: Another of Hindi cinema's giants passes, Rajesh Khanna. Our sincere condolences to his family. We will miss him dearly.


Karan Johar: The magic, the mannerism, the mania of RAJESH KHANNA is inscribed in every archive of Indian cinema...forever...RIP SIR!!!

Kunal Kohli: The word superstar was used first for Rajesh Khanna. His style. His ada. His charm. His smile. His songs. His films. He. Will always live on

Prateik: Zindagi ka safar, hai yeh kaisa safar, koi samjha nahi.. - aap shayad samajh gaye. RIP Rajesh Khanna Sahab... upar Smita se zaroor milna (Do meet Smita Patil up there).

Madhur Bhandarkar: The epitome of superstardom is no more amongst us. There was none, there is none and there won't be any like you Kakaji. You will be missed.

Rahul Bose: RIP Rajesh Khanna. The Phenomenon. Thank you for the magic.

Bipasha Basu: "Loss of a Superstar! Iconic Actor! RIP Rajesh Khanna!"



Sonam Kapoor: "Rip Rajesh Khanna."

Yuvraj Singh: "Sad to hear about Mr Rajesh Khanna I hope his soul rests in peace !!"

Sonu Nigam: "Rip Rajesh Khanna sir. To Sir with Love."

Shahid Kapoor: "RIP to the 1st king of romance ...... Rajesh Khanna."

Mandira Bedi: "Sad to hear Indias 1st Super star, Rajesh Khanna is no more. RIP."

Shabana Azmi: He was d SUPERSTAR like no other Did 10 films with him Met him last at Apsara awards Pale shadow of himself but smile as winsome RIP RajeshK. I have seen old women embrace him with tears in their eyes and young girls actually swoon in his presence.hysterical and manic. Rajesh K.

Mahesh Bhatt: When we lose a loved one, something within us dies. Our generation loved Rajesh Khanna. Today, a bit of us dies with this enigmatic star.

Vishal Dadlani: Hoping that the news of Rajesh Khanna's passing is another hoax. If it's true, we've lost India's first PHENOMENON, a true megastar! Rajesh Khanna inaugurated a park in Khar, in the 1970s. It's still called RAJESH KHANNA GARDEN! Always will be! Official name became irrelevant!


Shilpa Shetty: Just heard the sad news. Heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family to cope with this irreparable loss. R.I.P Rajesh Khanna, a superstar always.

Tusshar Kapoor: Rajesh Khannaji, our first superstar is no more! I worked with him in 'Kyaa Dil Ne Kaha' & learnt a lot just talking to him! May his soul RIP!

Shreyas Talpade: My first film that I saw on a VCR was 'Aradhana'. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haaye, kabhi ye hasaye kabhi ye rulaye. RIP our very dear 'ANAND'

Divya Dutta: RIP Rajesh Khanna! The very endearing superstar of Indian cinema who brought romance a new meaning on screen! You'll be terribly missed Kakaji.


Dia Mirza: "Babumoshai eto bhalo bhasha bhalo na..."... "Anand", "Kati Patang", "Bawarchi" and many more... What a legacy you've left behind. RIP Rajesh Khannaji.

Pooja Bedi: Deeply saddened to know Rajesh Khanna is no more with us on this planet! Wish the family and all his ardent fans strength!

Manoj Bajpayee: Nafrat ki duniya ko chod ke pyar ki duniya me khush rahena mere yaar!Still remember "Haathi Mere Saathi". Saw it as a child. We will miss you sir.

We thought he would come back

Veteran actress Hema Malini is in shock after hearing about the demise of Rajesh Khanna and says she always hoped that he would recover.


"We always thought he would come back (from the hospital). We are in shock right now," Hema told a TV news channel.

Rajesh Khanna died at his Bandra residence Wednesday after a prolonged illness. He was 69.

Talking about her last meeting with the superstar, the actress said: "We met at Apsara Awards, at the celebration of 100 years of cinema. He spoke to us and he talked properly and looked fine."

The two worked together in films like "Andaz" and "Prem Nagar" and Hema says the news is sad and she will soon meet his family members. "I have worked with him in many films but right now this is a very sad moment and I must go and meet his family members," she said.