Asha Parekh Recalls 200 Female Fans Mobbed Rajesh Khanna While Dubbing For 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani', Fainted Seeing Him

(MENAFN- IANS) Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) The upcoming episode of Indian Idol will see legendary actress Asha Parekh share fascinating memories about the unmatched stardom of legendary actor Rajesh Khanna.

During a candid conversation, host Harsh Limbachiyaa asked Asha Parekh,“Pehla sawal hai ki ma'am aapko pehli baar kab realise hua ki Rajesh Khanna itne bade star banenge?”

(My first question is, ma'am, when did you first realise that Rajesh Khanna would become such a huge star?)

Responding warmly, Asha Parekh said,“Unki picture ekdam se hit ho gayi aur sab ladkiyan deewani ho gayi. Tab laga ki yeh superstar ban gaye hain. Iske liye main jo kahungi ki Rajesh Khanna ke peeche jo craze tha, ladkiyon ka jo pagalpan tha, woh maine sirf ek aur hero ke liye dekha hai aur woh hain Dev Anand ji. Unke liye bhi ladkiyan behosh ho jaati thi. Isi tarah Rajesh Khanna ji ke liye bhi suna hai ki log unki gaadi ko kiss karte the, aur kuch toh unke photo ke saath shaadi bhi karte the.”

(His film became a massive hit overnight and all the girls went crazy for him. That's when I felt he had become a superstar. About this, I would say that the kind of craze and madness girls had for Rajesh Khanna, I had only seen for one other hero, and that was Dev Anand. Girls would faint for him too. Similarly, I heard that people used to kiss Rajesh Khanna's car, and some even married his photographs)

Harsh further asked,“Ma'am, aapne live moments dekhe hain?”

(Ma'am, did you witness those moments live?)

Recalling one such unforgettable incident, Asha Parekh shared,“Hum log shooting kar rahe the, aur 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani' ke liye dubbing theatre mein gaye the. Chhota sa theatre tha aur 200-300 ladkiyan andar ghus gayi thi. Rajesh Khanna ji ko dekhkar sab pagal ho gayi thi.”

(We were shooting, and we had gone to the dubbing theatre for 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani.' It was a small theatre, and around 200–300 girls rushed inside. The moment they saw Rajesh Khanna, everyone went crazy)

Adding to the conversation, Vishal Dadlani reflected on Rajesh Khanna's legendary popularity and said,“Ek kahani hai Rajesh Khanna Ji ke stardom ki. Jab maine filme dekhna shuru kiya tha tab zamana Bachchan sahab ki taraf mud chuka tha, lekin Rajesh Khanna sahab ki bahot kahaniyan suni hain. Bahot bade star the. Mujhe unke stardom ka asli ehsaas tab hua jab maine Santacruz mein dekha ki kisi se bhi puchho 'Rajesh Khanna Garden' kahan hai, har koi bata deta hai. Baccha-baccha aapko bata dega. Kisi bhi dukaan wale ya rickshaw wale se pooch lijiye, woh aapko wahan le jayega. Jabki us jagah ka naam Rajesh Khanna Garden hai hi nahi. Rajesh Khanna sahab ne sirf wahan ribbon cut kiya tha aur woh jagah hamesha ke liye logon ke dil aur dimaag mein bas gayi. Isko stardom kehte hain. Iss baat ko pachaas saal ho gaye honge aur aaj bhi log us jagah ko Rajesh Khanna Garden hi kehte hain.”

(There's a story about Rajesh Khanna's stardom. By the time I started watching films, the era had already shifted towards Amitabh Bachchan, but I had heard countless stories about Rajesh Khanna. He was a massive star. I truly understood the scale of his stardom when I saw that in Santacruz, if you asked anyone where 'Rajesh Khanna Garden' was, everybody could guide you there. Even little children knew about it. You could ask any shopkeeper or rickshaw driver, and they would take you there. The interesting part is that the place isn't even officially called Rajesh Khanna Garden. Rajesh Khanna had only inaugurated the place by cutting the ribbon once, and it stayed forever in people's hearts and minds. That is what true stardom means. It must have been around fifty years ago, and even today, people still call that place Rajesh Khanna Garden)

He further added,“Jaise ma'am ne kaha, maine bhi suna hai ki unki safed gaadi, lipstick ke nishaanon se poori laal hokar wapas aati thi. Iss level ka pagalpan tha.”

(As ma'am mentioned, I too have heard that his white car would return completely covered in red lipstick marks. That was the level of madness people had for him)

Rajesh Khanna, who enjoyed a career spanning over six decades, passed away in 2012. He is often regarded as Bollywood's first-ever superstar. The actor delivered several iconic films including Anand, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Haathi Mere Saathi and Safar, among many others.

The actor was married to actress Dimple Kapadia, who was significantly younger than him at the time of their marriage. The couple are parents to actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna and younger daughter Rinke Khanna.

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