‘I remember the man who made women swoon’

As a photographer, I have had the pleasure of watching Rajesh Khanna from close quarters. Over the past 30 years, I have seen him as an actor, a husband, a father, a producer, a director and even as a politician. Pradeep Bandekar writes.

As a photographer, I have had the pleasure of watching Rajesh Khanna from close quarters. Over the past 30 years, I have seen him as an actor, a husband, a father, a producer, a director and even as a politician.

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I met him for the last time nearly two months ago at a wedding in Bandra. He seemed weak; his hair, without colour, was grey hair. He had a stubble; his cheeks were emaciated, eyes pale.

His body language did not inspire much confidence.

There were journalists from the print as well as electronic media.

However, no one was able to recognise him. As he walked towards his car, I shouted out to him.

“Kakaji, kaise ho?” When Khanna heard me shout, he stopped and turned around. He recognised me and replied with a smile. “Mai theek hoon, tum kaisay ho. (I am fine. How are you?),” he said.

That night I was pained to see Kaka return home in a car way below the status he once earned for himself.

I remember the days when he entered film sets wearing a lungi, kurta and chapals in his luxurious Mercedez Benz. RK was fond of talented actresses such as Dimple Kapadia, Hema Malini, Rekha, Sarmila Tagore, with whom he worked a lot.

With Hema and Rekha, in particular, he was very comfortable.

What a sight that was. His fan following was maddening. Women scraped the mud from his car’s wheels and wore it on their foreheads as ‘sindoor’.

(Bandekar is a film photographer)