Rajesh Khanna is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema. His extensive filmography even made him the first 'Superstar' of Indian cinema. The legendary star was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour. However, his flourishing career crumbled right before his eyes once Amitabh Bachchan stepped into Bollywood.
People moved on from Rajesh Khanna's dramatic films and expressed their newfound love for action films. This started a steep decline in the legendary actor's career. Moreover, reportedly, his arrogance also came in the way of his successful career. After Rajesh Khanna passed away in July 2012, one of his close friends and journalist, Ali Peter John, sat for an interview with Rediff and spoke about the life of the first superstar of Indian cinema.
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During the conversation, Ali revealed that Rajesh Khanna was offered a whopping amount to appear on the now-popular reality TV show, Bigg Boss. The show's producer and channel, Colors was ready to pay Rs. 3.5 crore to the actor for each episode. However, he wasn't interested in doing the show. Ali was quoted as saying:
"Once, the makers of Bigg Boss called me to fix a meeting with him; they wanted him in the Bigg Boss house. But he said, "Nahin, nahin, Rajesh Khanna aise show thodi karega."
Ali mentioned that he tried convincing Rajesh Khanna to do the show, but the latter was hell-bent on not doing it. Later, the actor changed his mind and decided to accept the offer, but by then, it was too late as the channel was no longer interested in him. Ali further added:
"I tried to convince him, but he said no. The Colors (the television company that produces Bigg Boss) people told me they were willing to pay him Rs 3.5 crore for every episode he appeared in, but he said no. A few days later, he called me and said he wanted to do the show, but by then Colors had lost interest."
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In the same conversation, Ali Peter John discussed Rajesh Khanna's insecurities due to Amitabh Bachchan, the then-emerging new talent in the industry. Amitabh's success bothered him so much that he went on to badmouth the actor to his future wife, Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan). Rajesh Khanna was so depressed by his success that he even had suicidal tendencies and even told Ali that one day he went to the terrace of his home and cried bitterly.
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Moreover, Rajesh Khanna's close friend also shared that he would insult Amitabh Bachchan. When he and Jaya were working together in Bawarchi, Amitabh would come to meet Jaya on the sets. Rajesh Khanna would not even acknowledge Amitabh. This made Jaya so upset that she had told Rajesh Khanna:
"Ek din dekhna yeh kahan hoga aur tum kahan hoge."
Toward the end of the conversation, journalist, Ali Peter John also discussed Rajesh Khanna's final days and shared that he had met his close friend just two and a half months before his death. The legendary actor had told him, "Agar Ghalib daaru peekar mar sakta hai, toh main kyon nahin?"
What do you think of the revelations made by the legendary actor, Rajesh Khanna's close friend, Ali Peter John, about him?
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