Rajesh Khanna, the first true superstar of Indian cinema, commanded an extraordinary fan following during the late 1960s and early 1970s. His stardom was so immense that women would reportedly fall over his car and even apply dirt from his car’s tyres on their foreheads as a mark of devotion.
Recently, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan shared a fascinating anecdote highlighting the frenzy surrounding Rajesh Khanna’s superstardom. Speaking to Mid-Day, Roshan recalled an incident from the shooting of the 1977 film Chalta Purza, when the unit accidentally left him behind at an airport while ensuring Rajesh Khanna’s safety amid a chaotic fan encounter.
Roshan recounted that the film’s unit had landed at Delhi airport before heading to Bhakra Nangal Dam for a shoot. However, as soon as they stepped out, fans swarmed Rajesh Khanna, creating utter chaos. “Both Rajesh and I got down at the Delhi airport, and he was crowded. He was surrounded with people. And because of that chaos, the unit people forgot to take me. They went away. They left me behind at the airport,” Rakesh said.
Since mobile phones were not available at the time, Rakesh was left in a dilemma. “I didn’t know what to do. Whether to go back or stay there. Back then there were no flights for Chandigarh either. I just waited outside the airport,” he recalled. Fortunately, after some time, the crew returned, apologizing for their mistake. “They said, ‘We are really sorry. We forgot to take you due to this chaos.’ Such was the craze for him,” he added.
Rajesh Khanna’s stardom has been spoken about by many Bollywood veterans, including Amitabh Bachchan. In a past episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Big B reminisced about the hysteria surrounding the actor in the 1970s. “At that time, Rajesh Khanna was the biggest superstar in India. Kya aura tha, kya following thi… His presence was so powerful that when he arrived, women would take the dirt from his car’s tyres and apply it to their foreheads as a blessing,” Amitabh said.
