Published By: Sayan Paul

Rajesh Khanna's Birth Anniversary: Did You Know The Late Superstar Had Once Delivered 17 Consecutive Hits?

17 consecutive hits - and that too in a span of three years. Was Rajesh Khanna just a human being, or something more?

"Baabumushai... Zindagi Badi Honi Chahiye, Lambi Nahi!"

In the 2010 Bengali film 'Autograph', the lead character, played brilliantly by Prosenjit Chatterjee, says, "Ami Arun Chatterjee, Ami industry" (I am Arun Chatterjee, I am the industry). Well, in Hindi cinema during the 70s, Rajesh Khanna was THE INDUSTRY. The entire system revolved around him only. He was almost every (mainstream) filmmaker's first choice - so much so that they used to write scripts with him in mind and plan schedules as per his availability. It was only when he rejected a role that others would get an opportunity. Such was his superstardom - a benchmark that no one else has been able to come close to. As the renowned actor Tom Alter put it, "For me, in the early 70s, Khanna was the only hero - romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real."

And obviously, the kind of craze he enjoyed among people, especially the women, was simply legendary. Women used to send him letters written in their blood, come out in droves to catch a glimpse of him, and even marry themselves to his photographs. This was - and there's no other way to put it - a hysteria. As Shah Rukh Khan said, "Rajesh Khanna, you can't touch." And Salman Khan said, "I, Shah Rukh, or Aamir have not even achieved 10% of what Khanna had in acting or his stardom."

(Credit: Film History Pics)

It's the great Rajesh Khanna's 82nd birth anniversary. On this occasion, we share an interesting fact about him that you didn't know. 

The Late Superstar Had Once Delivered 17 Consecutive Hits

As already mentioned, Khanna reached the peak of his stardom during the early 70s. Actually, it started in 1969 when his romantic musical film 'Aradhana', co-starring Sharmila Tagore, was released. The film became a massive blockbuster, catapulting him to an unprecedented fame. That same year, he starred in Raj Khosla's superhit romantic family drama 'Do Raaste', opposite Mumtaz, which emerged as an All Time Blockbuster. 

And from 1969 to 1971 - just three years - he delivered a record 17 consecutive hits (15 solo and 2 two hero films). Needless to say, that record remains unbroken to date. 

(Credit: Rishi Kapoor)

The films were 'Aradhana', 'Doli', 'Bandhan', 'Ittefaq', 'Do Raaste', 'Khamoshi', 'Safar', 'The Train', 'Kati Patang', 'Sachaa Jhutha', 'Aan Milo Sajna', 'Mehboob Ki Mehendi', 'Choti Bahu', 'Anand', 'Andaz', 'Maryada', and 'Haathi Mere Saathi'.

Some Interesting Facts To Know

A major contributing factor to Khanna's superstardom was the songs in his films. The trio of Khanna, R. D. Burman, and Kishore Kumar was very popular among the masses. Almost all their songs became chartbusters and went on to stand the test of time. 

'Do Raaste' became the first Indian film to gross £100,000 in the UK. That record was broken a year later by 'Purab Aur Paschim', starring Manoj Kumar, Saira Banu, Ashok Kumar, Pran, and Prem Chopra. 

Khanna's stardom started declining during the late 70s - owing primarily to the Emergency (declared in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). It had angered the masses, leading to a major shift in mainstream Hindi cinema from romantic musicals to action-oriented multi-starrers. Actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra emerged as superstars, while Khanna suffered a major setback. After numerous moderate successes, he made a comeback in 1983 with Mohan Kumar's 'Avtaar', which emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year. And it earned him his 14th and final nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. 

Rajesh Khanna breathed his last on July 18, 2012. But the legacy he left behind continues to keep him alive in our minds.