Rajesh Khanna was India's first true superstar. Almost a decade after his death, a biopic on the actor is rumoured to be in the works. On the eve of his birth anniversary, reports have surfaced that a Bollywood film on Khanna's tremendously successful life is being adapted from Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, a 2014 chronicle of the superstar penned by Gautam Chintamani.
As per reports, actor and producer Nikhil Dwivedi, who has backed titles like Veere Di Wedding and Dabangg 3, has acquired the rights to turn Chintamani's book into a film. Farah Khan is in talks to direct the biopic although the director has refrained from giving any confirmation on the same.
"The story of Rajesh Khanna’s life should have been told a long time ago," Dwivedi was quoted saying. He added he found Chintamani's book "interesting" and that it perfectly captures the man behind the superstar.
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Rajesh Khanna, born Jatin Khanna, was the biggest name in cinema between 1970s and 80s India. He delivered several consecutive hits through these years, pairing with the lead female actors of the time. Haathi Mere Saathi, Bawarchi, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Anand and Khamoshi are among his best films.
Khanna boasted of a large frenzied fan following, with buzz of the period suggesting women at the height of his fame used to write him letters in blood. In 1973, Khanna married actor Dimple Kapadia when she was 15 and he, 30. The couple separated in 1982 but never formalised their divorce and remained so until Khanna's death in 2012.
Kapadia and Khanna had two daughters, author Twinkle Khanna and former actor Rinke Khanna.
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Through social media posts, Twinkle Khanna often reminisces about her father. The two share their birthdays on December 29, with Twinkle annually marking the day with a special throwback.
Sharing a monochrome photo of the superstar on his birthday back in 2018, Twinkle wrote, "As a toddler, I was convinced that all the truckloads of flowers that would arrive for his birthday were actually for me...#NowAndForever."