The Indian Express ·
Angry composer told Rajesh Khanna his stardom is over: ‘He started drinking, had tantrums’
Veteran composer Anandji recalls how Rajesh Khanna's attitude changed dramatically after he became a superstar, claiming the actor went from addressing him as “sir” to expecting people to stand when he entered a room.
As Jose Silva once said, “Do not allow the first failure to destroy you, nor success to ruin you.” Two contrasting examples of how actors dealt with failure and success in Bollywood are Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. Despite facing several setbacks and flops early in his career, Amitabh Bachchan remained consistent and grounded until his breakthrough with Zanjeer in 1973. The film transformed his career and established him as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars. Even at 83, Bachchan continues to remain active and relevant through his work.
Rajesh Khanna, meanwhile, began his career with humble beginnings and went on to become India’s first major superstar. However, according to veteran composer Anandji Virji Shah of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo, the actor’s behaviour changed considerably after he tasted unprecedented success. Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Anandji recalled how Kalyanji-Anandji had supported Khanna early in his career, even recommending him to filmmakers and producers.
