Rajesh Khanna: Reasons why we remember him even today

'Kaka' as Rajesh Khanna was also known as, enjoyed a lot of popularity, mass appeal and stardom. He left behind a great deal of good work and lots of memories for his fans to cherish. On his birth anniversary, we list down the reasons why we remember him even today. Read on.

He was Indian cinema's first superstar - Rajesh Khanna's charisma remains unmatched to this day. Coined as India's first superstar, a certain Jatin Khanna from Amritsar in Punjab went on to achieve something that most people can only dream of. Kaka starred in 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period between 1969 and 1971 that got him the title of India's first 'original superstar'. Not only that, in the year 1974, BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar. He was regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Hindi cinema. No superstar is complete with his share of super crazy fans and Rajesh Khanna fans too ranged from the aggressive wrist-slitting variety to the thousands of women who secretly had a crush on him.

Guru kurta - Films and fashion go hand in hand and Rajesh Khanna's guru kurtas are testimony to that. Collared kurtas with rolled back sleeves have a Rajesh Khanna stamp on them even today. Kaka made his filmy fashion statement spill in real life with people on the streets copying his style and going to their local tailors to get kurtas with pants made, with pictures of Khanna wearing the same. It wasn't just the guru kurtas with pants but Kaka's safari suits accessorised with large belts that take him straight to the fashion pages of the yore. A tilt of the head and his signature hand gestures are all you need to complete the look!

Ultimate romantic hero - To say that Rajesh Khanna is still considered the ultimate romantic hero of his time is not an understatement. In an interview, Rajesh Khanna's Aradhana co-star Sharmila Tagore revealed how she has never witnessed the frenzy that Rajesh Khanna had. Rumours about women having married his photographs emerged at the time when Khanna was a national craze. He gave his fans some of the best romantic films we have ever seen like Aradhana, Aan Milo Sajna and Amar Prem to name a few. His iconic line 'Pushpa, I hate tears' still resonates in every fan's mind and remains immortal even years after he left the world himself. Actor Anupam Kher had tweeted post the sad news of Rajesh Khanna's demise, "Rajesh Khanna gave us a crash course in romance. He introduced us to a special twinkle in the eye that made us feel good about ourselves."

His rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan - It may be hard to believe today considering Amitabh Bachchan's stature and fan frenzy, but Big B's claim to fame at one point in his career was that he had worked with superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rajesh Khanna, the then superstar, worked with a relatively popular Amitabh Bachchan in Anand way back in 1971 and walked away with all the praise and awards for his performance, once again pushing his stardom higher. Big B and Rajesh Khanna's rivalry was written about at that time and it was believed that Kaka got insecure over time as Big B became popular. While Rajesh Khanna didn't accept that a shining star like him could fade away eventually, Big B's hard-work and ability to bounce back despite failures worked for him.

His troubled marriage that hit news stands - Dimple Kapadia created ripples at the box office with her debut film Bobby. Her bold avatar got her a lot of attention, even from the various suitors vying for her attention. Dimple dropped a bomb when she got married to superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rajesh was in his thirties while Dimple was just 16. Just a film old, Dimple left stardom to enjoy life with Khanna whom she affectionately called Kaka. However, like most celebrities who fall prey to short-lived marriages, Dimple and Rajesh couldn't last long as a couple. After having two kids - Twinkle Khanna and Rinkie Khanna - Dimple and Rajesh Khanna filed for divorce in 1984. While the divorce proceedings were never completed, Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna are believed to have reconciled in the last few years before Khanna's demise. Amongst the many things we remember about Rajesh Khanna, we cannot miss out his whirlwind romance with a 16-year-old beautiful actress Dimple Kapadia and their marriage.

The many women in his life - Rajesh Khanna had an unmatched female fan following and the same goes true for his personal life as well. Rajesh Khanna's first love was actress Anju Mahendru. After a misunderstanding between them, the couple parted ways. Kaka got a lot of negative publicity during that time as the people from the industry sided with Anju. Rajesh Khanna eventually fell in love with the beautiful new entrant in Bollywood - Dimple Kapadia and the two decided to tie the knot. Post his split from wife Dimple Kapadia, Kaka was also linked with Tina Munim with whom he worked in films like Sautan and Fiffty Fiffty. Post Kaka's death, news of his live-in partner Anita Advani came to the fore.

Anita Advani and her tussle with Dimple Kapadia over 'Aashirwad' - Post his demise, Rajesh Khanna's alleged live-in partner Anita Advani sent a legal notice to Kaka's family members asking for compensation and claimed that she was living in with him in his house. The Bombay high court refused to give Khanna's property documents to Anita Advani, the alleged live in partner of the late Bollywood actor. Advani's lawyer had sought copies of probate and proceedings filed by Khanna's legal heir Twinkle Khanna, who has been named as the executrix in Rajesh Khanna's will. Anita Advani and her issues with Rajesh Khanna's family, especially his wife Dimple Kapadia, cropped up once again after she participated in the controversial reality show Bigg Boss 7 last year.

B-grade films later on in his career - It is sad but true that India's first superstar saw some of the greatest highs in his career and also faced the shocking lows when he started working in B-grade films. After the tremendous success he saw, Rajesh Khanna faded into oblivion. The superstar refused character roles unlike his contemporaries after age started to catch up. However, Kaka returned to films once again, but this time in not so appealing B-grade films. Check out the film still of his movie Wafa: A Deadly Love Story to know what we mean.