The darker shades of Rajesh Khanna`s life

It is thought of as discourteous to put in writing in negative tones after any person's demise. Never speak ill of the dead, the saying goes. Journalists and writers, however, must remain faithful to their calling and document the reality about Rajesh Khanna before it's drowned in a crescendo of blandishments from publicity-hungry cronies.

Rajesh Khanna's worst enemies were the sycophants in his lifetime. They created the destructive genie which lurks within but is kept in leash by most people.

Not so with 'Kaka', because the actor was popularly known. He allowed his ego full play and, at a later date, even rued his lifestyle; but, by then, it was too late. He had alienated his well-meaning lady friends, his old schoolmates, his aides, servants and relatives.

In hindsight, the one similar example from the sector of cinema I WILL BE ABLE TO recall was the famed Howard Hughes, inventor, industrialist, film producer, director and a psychotic. Hughes may be credited with a movie that's a media favourite, a veritable study guide for young film directors. For film historians it's the greatest film ever made: Citizen Kane.

Howard Hughes introduced half a dozen girls to Hollywood, but he claimed that his best discovery was Jane Russel. After acting in a few films, Russell actually dumped Hughes, causing Hughes to withdraw right into a private world of his own with very strict rules for all who had access to it. One former actress, Jean Peters, decided to stick with him until he died, sacrificing a promising career in Hollywood.

The only thing that separates Rajesh Khanna from Hughes is that the previous contributed nothing to the industry he served while Hughes founded a whole empire of businesses under the Howard Hughes Corporation which included the Trans World Airlines, Texas Equipment Co. and an armament manufacturing company. On top of everything, Hughes made stars out of normal men and women.

Kaka had a median streak. He used his star power to demolish any opposition. Actress Anju Mahendroo can have much so as to add to my very own story which I need to share.

The time was when Rajesh Khanna was about to get married to Dimple Kapadia after a long-drawn romance with Anju Mahendroo. The latter and her mother had a royal tiff with Khanna before Mahendroo walked out of the house through which she have been a typical.

The film industry was along with her. What made Kaka furious was the reaction from even his well-wishers. He blamed Mahendroo and her friends for all of the negative publicity.

My close friend Basu Bhattacharya had just completed his latest film "Daku" featuring Kabir Bedi and Anju Mahendroo. One working print was sent to Delhi by the producer for personal screenings. The film came to me for tax exemption as I USED TO BE the film expert on board the official committee of the Excise Department within the Delhi Administration.

"Daku" was in keeping with a novelette written by the famed Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam. The author didn't charge any royalty because she had tremendous regard for Basuda as a movie director. The film was issued a tax exemption for a period of 1 month after its first week's commercial run in Delhi. I had found the film worthy of the exemption.

The film, however, was never released.

Rajesh Khanna's fierce battle with Mahendroo led him to reserve the non-public confiscation of all films within the country featuring her. He even went as far as to declare that he would pay double the fee incurred to all filmmakers with rights over their films wherein Anju Mahendroo had a task.

He demanded that even lobby prints, posters, trailers and advertisement films et al featuring Mahendroo be handed to him or his representative. He paid for all of the material seized.

The entire record of Mahendroo's film career so far virtually disappeared. Films already released, like "Road to Sikkim", were withdrawn. The advertisement for a well known brand of talcum powder endorsed by Mahendroo also disappeared and, of course, there remained no trace of the film "Daku".

Basu Bhattacharya was furious on the turn of events. "Daku" had already got full tax exemption in Punjab and more credit can be forthcoming. Kaka had other ideas. He probably had all of the material destroyed. At one time Bhattacharya even contemplated re-shooting "Daku" with a brand new star cast, but funds were his insurmountable problem.

I think "Road To Sikkim" might still be in some private possession as a 16-mm print in eastern India. Whether it is still around, I'D wish for it to re-surface now and its print be sent to the National Film Archives for preservation. Anju Mahendroo deserves to be resurrected.

Rajesh Khanna came to Delhi for a charity premiere I had organized for the film "Shakti" wherein he played the role of a policeman. On the press meet I asked Kaka in regards to the release of the film "Daku". His reply was that he had not heard of such a film.

I told him concerning the Anju Mahendroo story. Khanna simply stared at me transfixed and expressed the need to fulfill me separately, but I DETERMINED to not oblige him.

From time to time I'M asked: Could Rajesh Khanna was rescued?

I do think that Kaka might have been saved from himself. In 1984, Rajesh Khanna's last big hit film "Maqsad" became successful and he was in good spirits. At this time, considered one of his physician friends can have prevailed upon Kaka to transport out of Bombay for a longer period of detoxification and recovery from his problems.

Khanna nearly succeeded in 1991. He was asked (by the Congress) to face in a by-election for the Lok Sabha seat from New Delhi against (the Bharatiya Janata Party's) L.K. Advani. He lost by a whisker. He stood again (because Advani vacated the seat, having also won from Gandhinagar in Gujarat) against Shatrughan Sinha (also of the BJP), and won. But he wasted away his gains as a result of his wayward behaviour.

Rajesh Khanna's worst enemies were his arrogance and self-indulgence. He was a poor listener, always bent upon dominating the lives of his dear and family members. He had mood swings and will be very generous to someone at one moment and an utter miser within the next moment.

The constant refrain around him touting his superstar image had turned his head and he could now not lead a correct private life. He became consumed by an overwhelming have to be surrounded by fawning flatterers in any respect times.

The entire machination could well was filmdom's clever approach to create a counter point against the camps of Dev Anand, the aging Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. The phantom created by vested interests for public consumption ultimately consumed him.

Kaka remained a lonely man. He had numerous affairs with women whom he couldn't marry. Dimple, foreseeing without equal fate of her husband, had left him to himself in his big house Ashirwad, refusing to grant him a divorce. The general public never knew much about all this.

Rajesh Khanna's last supposed romance was with Devyani Chaubal, a gossip columnist cast within the mould of Hollywood's Hedda Hopper. The Khanna-Chaubal romance ended along with her untimely death.

In later life Kaka also became a frequent visitor at hospitals for his many ailments because of his erratic lifestyle. Something needed to give and, in his case, it was his weak and thinning body.

Aware of Kaka's declining health, Kapadia knew that she would inherit a few of his wealth as his surviving widow and share it along with her daughters. Her return to Kaka in his last days may well be a sign of her foresight.

Many like me must feel that she rightfully deserves to inherit Rajesh Khanna's wealth in spite of everything the physical abuse she suffered from her superstar egoistic husband throughout the ten years in their married life.

Like Howard Hughes, Kaka didn't wish his illness to be made public. Both died of the similar disease. Even on his deathbed, Kaka reigned over his body, by some means. The dark side of his life could eventually come to light, just because it did in relation to Howard Hughes.