#GoldenFrames: Rajesh Khanna, the first 'Superstar' of Indian Cinema

Rajesh Khanna was the 1970s' original King of Romance. Besides his charming personality, romantic gestures and enchanting smile, one huge reason for Khanna's popularity was the chartbuster music in his movies. The actor won seven All-India Critics Association (AICA) Best Actor Awards and received ten nominations. He won four Best Actor Awards in the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and received 25 nominations. He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards, one Filmfare Special Guest Actor Award in 1973, and received a Filmfare Special Award in 1991, after twenty-five years in the Hindi film industry. He received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th anniversary Filmfare Awards ceremony in 2005. He also received the IIFA Lifetime Achievement award in 2009.

In This Pic : rajesh khanna, goldenframes

Born on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar, Punjab, in a Hindu Khatri family, Rajesh Khanna was known as Jatin Khanna. The actor was adopted and raised by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna. They were relatives of his biological parents. Rajesh's father had migrated from West Punjab to Gali Tiwarian in Amritsar, where he worked as headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala, Punjab, Pakistan. His biological mother Chandrani Khanna was a housewife. His adoptive parents came from a family of railway contractors who had moved from Lahore to Mumbai in 1935. He lived in Saraswati Niwas in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai.

(In this photo: Young Rajesh Khanna with his biological parents)

In This Pic : Rajesh Khanna, goldenframes

Rajesh attended St. Sebastian's Goan High School with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. He gradually started taking an interest in theatre, and did many stage and theatre plays in his school and college days. The actor won many prizes in inter-college drama competitions. He played a wounded mute soldier in the play 'Andha Yug' (1962). The chief guest was so impressed with his performance that he suggested getting into movies soon.

In This Pic : rajesh khanna, Jeetendra, goldenframes

Rajesh became a rare newcomer who had his own MG sports car, who once struggled to work in theatre and movies in the early 1960s. Khanna did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts in Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune from 1959 to 1961. Khanna later studied at K. C. College, Mumbai and Jeetendra studied at Siddharth Jain College.

In This Pic : Rajesh Khanna, goldenframes

Khanna trained Jeetendra for his first movie audition. Khanna's uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to enter movies. His friends and wife Dimple Kapadia called him Kaka, which means a baby-faced boy in Punjabi.

In This Pic : rajesh khanna, Jeetendra, goldenframes