Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar
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The untold story of Hindi cinema’s first superstar
Obsessed female fans routinely sent him love letters written in blood. Hysterical crowds camped outside his house to catch a glimpse of the superstar. And the frenzy unleashed by his public appearances was enough to give law-enforcers a nightmare. In the 1970s, Rajesh Khanna achieved the kind of fame that no film star had ever experienced before—or has since. But having climbed to the pinnacle of success, he then saw it all vanish. And through it all, he remained a fighter till the very end.
In this riveting biography, journalist Yasser Usman examines Rajesh Khanna’s dramatic, colourful life in its entirety: from little-known facts about his childhood to the low-down on his relationships and rivalries, from his ambitious hopes to his deep-seated insecurities. What emerges is a tantalizingly written, meticulously researched chronicle of a fascinating and mercurial man—one who was both loved and feared by those closest to him. It is a story that encapsulates the glittering, seductive, cut-throat world of Bollywood at its best and its worst.
ASIN : B06XYP2Q8B
Publisher : Penguin (5 December 2014)
Language : English
File size : 6303 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 352 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 0143423614
Customers say
Customers find the book very readable, wonderful, and fun. They say it gives them a complete insight into who Rajesh Khanna really was. Readers also describe the story as inspirational, humane, and beautiful. They appreciate the writing style, saying it’s nice and descriptive.
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9 reviews for Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar
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Bekxy Kuriakose –
Brilliant Read especially if you are NOT a fan of Rajesh Khanna
I am no fan of Rajesh Khanna. I picked up this book after reading Yasser Usman’s Rekha which I hugely enjoyed. This is Yasser’s first book (published in 2014). While writing the book he faced similar challenges as in Rekha of not getting access to the subject or his family and close acquaintances. In this case Rajesh Khanna’s death was the starting point for the author’s decision to pen his biography when he attended his funeral procession and was told to put a story for his channel by his boss.Still many opened up to him including filmmakers, scriptwriters like Salim Khan (who has also written a foreword to the Book), film journalists of that era…a lot of archival material from film magazines, fan clubs, blogs, newspapers covering Rajesh Khanna’s interviews, those of Dimple, Anju, Tina and others… articles about Bollywood in the 70s and 80s and success of his cult movies and their music like Aradhana, Anand, Kati Patang, etcAnd it shows…The book is a culmination of the detailed research and is a brilliant effort. For those of us born later and who never witnessed ‘The Phenomenon’ of Rajesh Khanna’s superstardom in the seventies, his massive fan following, the book is an eye opener and will blow you away. And just as he rose and touched the dizzying heights of success worshipped by millions of fans across the country as God and King of Bollywood his fall was equally dramatic and tragic. How and why it happened, his personality traits, his unique childhood, his decisions which paved his destiny, his working style, the women he loved and who loved him but still he lost them, all this and much more is covered with such detail, flair and panache that you will not feel anything has been missed out or is incomplete in any way.Brilliant read and highly recommended Especially if you are Not a fan of Rajesh Khanna !
THELIP –
“Decoding The RAJESH KHANNA Enigma In A Thrilling Flashback!!!”
For Someone who has never met the Phenomenon Superstar during His Lifetime either at His Peak nor when He was down and out in the Dumps Fighting tooth and nail to get back even a few specks of His former glory TV Journalist YASSER USMAN biography is mostly based on hearsay and whatever He could gather from souces who were eager to share their version of The ‘RAJESH KHANNA’ they knew and had interacted with..Mostly His inside Staff and Film Journalists of leading publications..Nobody expected the Immediate family be It His estranged wife DIMPLE or His daughters TWINKLE or RINKIE or Damadjee AKSHAY KUMAR be forthcoming to talk about their Side of the Story or share their version..This the book that began with KAKA funeral goes into a filmi flashback piecing the intriguing puzzle that was JATIN KHANNA who transformed into RAJESH KHANNA the unparalled Phenomenon unlike anything the film industry had seen before or even after His Shattering downfall.Truly the book is gripping and not for a fraction of a second is it un-putsownable How well the book has been researched can be seen from the fact that of the 323 pages…The story is wrapped up beautifully in just 283 pages..The remaining 40 Pages are devoted to the Sources without whom the book may never have come about leave alone so convincingly that it almost captivates You.Like SALIM KHAN of the superduper SALIM-JAVED jodi that changed the very face of screenplay writing in Indian Cinema as they churned out one megahit after another, who has written the foreword of this book confesses,”Nobody really knew RAJESH KHANNA..But this book comes closest to understanding HIM!!””While I have nothing but praise for YASSER USMAN for so painstakingly penning such an honest biography which I can say is very close to the truth yet I feel somewhere He took the easy way Out by relying totally on film journalists of yore or his former staff to dig out juicy tidbits and put together this book to meet the deadline..If only and that is a Huge IF (Like “Chote Papa” SUNNY DEOL says, “No If, No But..Only Jatt!”) Could have convinced DIMPLE & SUNNY DEOL along with AKSHAY KUMAR and perhaps pushing his luck to get Chintu baba to talk about the infamous triangle their life was entangled into the book would definitely have gone through the roof..But that was not to be..The only Person who had no issue speaking about JATIN turned RAJESH KHANNA is ANJU MAHENDRU and She pulls out all stops to give Her side of the story frankly and freely.Keeping away from troubled waters YASSER USMAN steers away from all major controversies be it the Colorful Life Of DIMPLE KAPADIA after She walked out of Aashirwad after several false starts to finally return back to films after almost a decade of a stormy marriage. Controversy was the middle name of both Mrs & Mr Khanna and yet those chapters were kept out of this book be it His Showdown with Subhash Ghai that turned ugly or his public spat with Salma Agha which almost aborted Onche Log as the outdoor turned soo chilly between the lead pair..However All Said and Done this is truly a Poigant and Touching Effort..Wish this book had come out during RAJESH KHANNA or even while DEVYANI CHAUBAL alias DEVI was still Frankly Speaking but that was not to be.. Even then this is a definite must read biography for all Kaka fans and anyone who wants to decode the RAJESH KHANNA puzzle!!
sarthak sengupta –
Yasser’s best
Have read Yasser in his books on Guru Dutt and Rekha. Liked both. But probably this one, on Rajesh Khanna, is the best one.
Kindle Customer –
visit to the superstar’s psyche…
more than focussing on the life events as it is, the author has focused on the struggle and pain that the only superstar of bollywood had gone through and its really touching…the way he tried to analyze the personality of rajesh khanna,makes sense and is not just gossip or anything like that..the authir was able to maintain a certain level of dignity in describing it which i appreciate the most.. though i belong to khan era of bollywood,i still love rajesh khanna and im a die hard fan of him..i inherited it from my mother!! so u ee how it goes!haha!! i cried buckets watching aradhana..and i was curious till the end of kudrat and was happy at the reunion of boty the souls!! rajesh khanna cannot die..he lives forever in our hearts,much loved!!
AmFab –
I bought this book for my sister bday present and she loved it. Growing up watching Bollywood movies thanks to my father and grandfather.Rajesh K One of the best Bollywood icons of all time ð made us fall in love with movies and music ð
Max Vadukul –
I stumbled on this book while I was surfing Amazon Kindle site. And I’m not disappointed. It’s a racy read on India’s first superstar of Hindi Movies, Rajesh Khanna.The writer has collected anecdotal evidences from several people who where contemporaries of Rajesh Khanna. Folklore or fact, the book brings to light the perception of those times when masses worshiped Rajesh Khanna while he gained professional height and when his persona dwindled into oblivion.On similar lines, I would recommend a biography of Mina Kumari by Vinod Mehta.
Saurav Mohapatra –
A very in-depth and nuanced look at the life and times of Rajesh Khanna — a rarity in the hagiographic deluge of Indian biographies.
Amazon Customer –
Well researched book though still leaves gaps due to close people refusing to give interviews to the author – perhaps a second edition?
Dr. Mandar V. Bichu –
A wonderful account of Rajesh Khanna’s life and career. Well-researched lucidly told tale of Bollywood’s first superstar. A balanced biography that captures the spirit of the complex man and the star who could never come to terms with his faded glory!