Khanna's uncle KK Talwar changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. Khanna also tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts in Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune from 1959 to 1961. Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties. In 1962 Khanna played a wounded dumb soldier in the play 'Andha Yug' and impressed with his performance the chief guest suggested him to get into films soon. Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of stage and theatre plays in his school and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions. Sebastian’s Goan High School there, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai. His adopted parents belonged to a family of railway contractors who had moved from Lahore to Bombay in 1935. His biological parents were Lala Hiranand and Chandrani Khanna and Lala worked as headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala (in present day Pakistan), Vehari District, Punjab, Pakistan. On 30 April 2013 he was officially bestowed with the title The First Superstar of Indian cinema at Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards He has also been honored with a stamp and statue of his likeness, and a road being renamed in his honor.īorn on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar in the state of Punjab, as Jatin Khanna, Khanna was adopted and raised by foster parents – Chunni Lal Khanna and Leela Wati Khanna, who were relatives of his biological parents after his father had migrated from pre-partitioned Pakistan to Gali Tiwarian in the city of Amritsar. Khanna has been posthumously awarded India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan. Īfter being critically ill, Khanna died on 18 July 2012. Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is married to actor Akshay Kumar, while they also have a younger daughter Rinke Khanna. He married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, eight months before her debut film Bobby was released and had two daughters from the marriage. He was also a Lok Sabha member of the Indian National Congress from New Delhi constituency from 1992 to 1996. He was the highest paid Indian actor from 1970 to 1987 where Amitabh Bachchan shared the same tag with Khanna from 1980 to 1987. In 1991, he was awarded the Filmfare Special Award and in 2005, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. He received the Filmfare Best Actor Award award three times and the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) four times.
Through his career he appeared in more than 160 feature films and 17 short films. He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat. He starred in 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period 1969 to 1971. He is referred to as the "first superstar" and the "original superstar" of Indian cinema. info) born Jatin Khanna 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was a Bollywood actor, film producer and politician.