Gloomy Enigma of Stardom

Gautam Chintamani's Dark Star is a riveting biography that unravels the mystique of Rajesh Khanna—his meteoric rise, poignant fall, and the enduring shadow he casts over Indian cinema. Excerpts:

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The new millennium hardly brought much cheer for Rajesh Khanna. He had ceased to be relevant in the new scheme of things and had begun to come around to the fact that the world had moved on. He got used to the idea of insignificance that the last few years had bequeathed upon him; but for someone who had witnessed the zenith of popularity in the shortest time possible, the idea of obscurity remained a daunting notion. Right through the ups and downs of his career, Khanna had always remained convinced that everything would eventually fall into place. In the 1980s, when he delivered his first hit that looked to usher in a new Rajesh Khanna era, he had said in an interview: 'Come September, and I will be back. Such was his optimism. He always believed that his charm would win over fate, but the debacle of Aa Ab Laut Chalen changed things for him. The film was Khanna's comeback in the truest sense but unlike his bête noire Amitabh Bachchan, Khanna's return to acting post-politics could not wring the same level of excitement amongst fans.

Along with Mohabbatein, the success of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of the international television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, resurrected Bachchan. Khanna's most famous rival was enjoying the busiest phase of his acting career while the first superstar of Hindi cinema steadily slipped from public memory.

Even people around Khanna were undergoing changes. After 15 years of mostly playing the glamorous lead, Dimple Kapadia transitioned into becoming a full-time character actor with films like Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Leela (2002). Khanna's elder daughter Twinkle called it a day as far as acting was concerned once she had tied the knot with Akshay Kumar, a star in his own right. In 2002, the couple had their first son, Aarav, and becoming a grandfather for the first time brought some joy to Khanna.