Rajesh Khanna Birth Anniversary: Here are ten unknown facts about the first superstar of Bollywood

Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna's real name was Jatin. It was the suggestion of his parents that he took the name Rajesh before joining the film industry. He made the name so popular that many parents of the 80s named their children after him. He worked in almost 163 feature films and 17 short films.

The Superstar

He entered films after winning the Filmfare Talent Hunt contest. But before he made it big in Bollywood, he was known as a "faaltu hero" because of his unconventional features. As a struggling actor, he used to drive himself to work in his own MG sports car.

Kaka

He made a record in Hindi cinema by shooting for 'Roop Tera Mastana' song from 'Aradhana' with Sharmila Tagore in a single take.

Romantic Hero

The actor had bought a bungalow called 'Dimple' from actor Rajendra Kumar and renamed it 'Aashirwad'. The house that had proven unlucky for Kumar, but proved lucky for Rajesh Khanna who delivered 15 hits in a row, a record still unbroken by any actor.

The Charismatic Hero

Rajesh Khanna was so popular that his white FIAT could often be found with lipstick marks. He also received letters written in blood from women. In fact, many even married his photograph. He often needed police protection to go out in public.

Trendsetter

The "guru kurta" he made famous was originally the garment of choice of farmers and small-time politicians.

Birthday Boy

He was in a very serious relationship with actress Anju Mahendru. The two had some tiff post which, Rajesh Khanna decided to marry 17-year-old actress Dimple Kapadia.

Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna was the highest paid actor of his time and made a hit pair with actress Mumtaz. The two worked in eight films and all of them went on to be a blockbuster. He worked in 15 films with Hema Malini and his jodi with Sharmila Tagore was also loved by fans.

The Goodlooker

Rajesh Khanna was the one who gave popular writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first break as screenwriters for the film 'Haathi Mere Saathi'.

The Star

Bombay University taugh an essay on him at the peak of his career. The essay was titled 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna'. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had made a film on him called 'Bombay Superstar' in 1974.