Rajesh Khanna: The superstar laid to rest; grandson Aarav lights pyre

Rajesh Khanna’s Cremation at Vile Parle, Mumbai

Mumbai: As thousands thronged the streets of Mumbai, India’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna made his final journey from his cherished home ‘Aashirwad’ in Carter Road in Mumbai towards Paramhans crematorium in Vile Parle.

Fans threw flowers at the glass casket in which Khanna’s body was placed and walked along with the cavalcade that carried the star. Accompanying the star on his final journey was his estranged wife, actress Dimple Kapadia, elder son-in-law Akshay Kumar, younger daughter Rinkee Khanna, her husband Sameer Saran and grandson Aarav. 

 

The star’s funeral procession began around 10:15 am on Thursday morning and reached the crematorium at around 11 am. The last rites were performed by Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar’s son, Aarav. 

"Aarav lit the pyre and Akshay Kumar assisted him," the late superstar`s close friend Vijay Zaveri.

Braving the rain, thousands of fans gathered to pay tribute to Bollywood`s first superstar Rajesh Khanna. Celebrities like Karan Johar, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor,Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan were also present at the crematorium.

Frenzy as fans bid adieu to superstar

Fans join the funeral procession of legendary actor Rajesh Khanna in Mumbai on Thursday.

Thousands throng the streets and follow the funeral procession right from the actor’s residence

A mass frenzy of sorts was unleashed on the streets of Mumbai on Thursday as thousands of eager fans and onlookers poured onto the streets to get a last glimpse of legendary superstar Rajesh Khanna. The veteran actor passed away at his residence on Wednesday.

Mr. Khanna’s body was adorned with garlands of white roses, mogra and chrysanthemums. It was enclosed in a glass case mounted on a truck decorated with flowers. The funeral procession began from Mr. Khanna’s bungalow, ‘Aashirwad,’ on Carter Road in suburban Bandra.

Dimple Kapadia, Mr. Khanna’s wife, his daughter Rinkie, his son-in-law and actor Akshay Kumar, and grandson Aarav led the funeral procession on the truck to the crematorium at Pawan Hans in Ville Parle. His other daughter Twinkle Khanna, who is pregnant, was not seen at the funeral.

The procession arrived at the final destination at 11.15 a.m. Mr. Khanna’s last rites were performed by Akshay Kumar, who was accompanied by Aarav.

The road outside the crematorium teemed with humanity. The skywalk that rose over it was jammed with people and media cameras. Thousands thronged the streets and followed the procession right from the actor’s residence.

SERENDIPITOUS MEMENTO

One such fan was Mohammad Rafique. It was a delirious moment for him when a plastic sheet that covered the case in which Mr. Khanna was kept flew in his direction.

“I was running behind the truck,” Mr. Rafique told The Hindu, hugging the plastic sheet.

“This flew off and I grabbed it. I will always cherish it as a memento of the superstar.”

A dejected Sayyed Baby Sheikh held a garlanded poster of the star and waited patiently among the sea of people. “Aapke bina Bharat adhoora [Without you India is incomplete],” the poster read.

“I made this poster on Wednesday. I am his fan. I did not get a chance to meet him. I am very unhappy about his demise. I have been carrying this garland since Wednesday. I went to his house and now I came here, but the police did not allow me to see him. I think when such superstars pass away the government should organise condolence ceremonies at bigger places like Shivaji Park or Azad Maidan, so that everyone can pay their last respects. I am unhappy that I could not pay a tribute. I saw him for the first time on the truck, but my garland of flowers could not reach him. I will always regret that. May God give him peace. He is everybody’s favourite. I have his photos at home. I am mad about his songs,” Mr. Sheikh told The Hindu.

A large number of fans turned up from the neighbouring state of Gujarat. “Some 51 luxury buses have come from various parts of Gujarat,” Kushal Singh, a fan of Kakaji [as Mr. Khanna was fondly called] from Ahmedabad told The Hindu. The Gujarat contingent marched, carrying a garlanded photograph of the veteran actor, shouting,“Long Live Rajesh Khanna!’ and ‘Rajesh Khanna Zindabad!’

People raved about Kakaji’s songs, his idiosyncrasies and dialogue delivery. Snatches of songs and dialogues were being enacted at various spots.

Datta Waghmare from Vashi in Navi Mumbai took a day’s leave from his clerical job at a school. “I love the way Mr. Khanna blinked his eyes and his hand gestures. He had a natural appeal. When I learnt of his demise, I shed tears,” Mr. Waghmare told The Hindu.

THE DARK LINING

However, there was a dark lining to this outpouring of sentiment as, overcome by mob hysteria, the crowds caused a ruckus, posing and cheering in front of the cameras and robbing the poignant occasion of its dignity. Eager onlookers mobbed each passing car and the police had as difficult a time managing them as the creeping traffic. Continual scuffles broke out among the police, onlookers and the media.

There was much shoving and pushing for the entire duration of three hours that the funeral lasted and even after that. Onlookers perched on the skywalk, in the nooks of its metal frame, on trees, rooftops, road dividers and compound walls.

At one point the police resorted to lathi charge to control the crowds. A steady downpour made matters worse.

HEAVY BANDOBAST

Heavy bandobast was deployed at the crematorium. Police vans were stationed and teams of local and riot police were pressed into service. Traffic crawled in the western suburbs and massive jams brought a part of the city to a halt.

Many Bollywood personalities including Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, Raj Babbar, Karan Johar, Kabir Bedi, Aditya Chopra, Shakti Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Rani Mukherjee, Vinod Khanna, Sajid Khan, Randhir Kapoor attended the funeral.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also paid his last respects to the legend at ‘Aashirwad.’

Amitabh Bachchan pays blog tribute to Rajesh Khanna

Amitabh Bachchan, who co-starred with late actor Rajesh Khanna in Anand and Namak Haraam, wrote a moving tribute to him on his blog:

I first saw him in a film magazine, perhaps Filmfare. He was the winner of the Filmfare-Madhuri Talent Contest, a contest that I had applied to in the coming year and been rejected. His film 'Aradhana' was my next meeting with him, at the Rivoli Theatre in Connaught Place in New Delhi, which my Mother took me along to see. The packed audience and their reactions to this young handsome man was impermeable.

The early, or shall I say preliminary rejection of my attempt to compete in the Filmfare-Madhuri contest, had made me leave my settled job in Calcutta. I had come away home to seek the possibilities of joining the Industry in some other way. But one look at Rajesh Khanna made me realize that with people like him around, there would be little chance or opportunity for me, in this new profession !

When I got my call for 'Saat Hindustani' I travelled to Bombay, got the role and went back to start its shooting. My friendship with one of the Hindustani's, Anwar Ali, brought me in the vicinity of his illustrious brother Mehmood. Mehmood bhaijaan's presence in the Industry and his own very large standing, gave me an opportunity to get an informal meet at one of the shootings of Rajesh Khanna. It was a very formal hand shake and that was it - a routine for him, an honor for me !

Soon after I was being cast opposite him in 'Anand'. This was like a miracle, God's own blessing and one that gave me 'reverse respect'. The moment that anyone came to know that I was working with THE Rajesh Khanna, my importance grew. And I gloated in its wake. During the breaks in the shooting of the film I would return to Delhi and gleefully describe the scenes and dialogues of the film, as also its music to all that I met - and I met many during that time ! There were no CD's then, just the spooled tapes, and getting Hrishi da to part with one such for me, was an exercise in futility. But I was able to get one and 'kahin dur jab din dhal jaae ..' played endlessly on my very repair stricken tape recorder.

He was simple and quiet. Would sit in the front seat of his modest Herald, driven by his man-friday Kabir. He would attract many visitors on set and was continuously surrounded by them - Hrishi da permitting ! The frenzy and the following he garnered was a sight to behold. In the 1970 era his fans came from Spain to meet him - a most unheard of occurrence then. In his trade mark Rajesh Khanna kurta pyjama, he almost always looked the boy next door, one that girls would want to take home to Mother. But amidst all this there was a quiet elegance within him. In his boyish plainness there was something that was regal in his demeanor. It was the magnet that attracted others to him - who at times were almost servile to him in nature.

My observation above, does not do justice to what I wish to explain. But then, that itself could be that unspoken accomplishment of his.

I visited his residence 'Aashirwad' just once when we were working together, to wish him on his birthday, only to realize when I reached their, that I had come in a day earlier. He was magnanimous enough to understand my awkwardness and asked me to stay back ; then after a while driving me to Shakti Samanta's ( who made 'Aaradhana' and many other films with him, and 'Great Gambler' and 'Barsaat ki ek Raat' with me ) house to join him for dinner ! The next day on his birthday he hosted me again. Many many years later he had called me to his office to seek the possibility of working for his production, which did not materialize. Then of course my last meeting with him was when IIFA decorated him with a LifeTime Achievement Award and asked me to present it. His gracious words for me still resound.

When the shooting of 'Anand' began at Mohan Studios, Hrishi da's favorite locale, now a concrete housing colony, the one moment that always worried me was, that last scene when I break down after his death and urge him emotionally to speak ! Not being able to find a method in my own very limited acting experience, I sought the help of Mehmood bhai, in who's house I was living with his brother Anwar Ali. And I still remember what he told me -

He said, "just think Amitabh, R- a- j- e- s- h K- h- a- n- n- a is dead !! and you will get everything right".

It was not so much a tutorial in acting that he expounded. It was an exalted acknowledgement of Rajesh Khanna's presence and position in the psyche of the nation, that he was drawing my attention to.

That is how Rajesh Khanna was looked upon from the day he started till his last breath. Times changed, people changed, circumstances changed, but Rajesh Khanna always remained his quiet, elegant, regal self !

As I sat at his home this afternoon, to pay my respects, soon after learning of his passing away, a close functionary of his, came up to me and told me in a choked voice what his last words were -

"time ho gaya hai ! Pack Up !"

Yes Kaka, aapke fans aapse koi nahi chheen sakta.