Meet actor who made super flop debut, then became box office king after just 3 years, filmmakers were afraid to cast him because…, his name is..

Rajesh Khanna, who is called the first superstar of the film industry, had to face many failures before his career started shining. You will be surprised to know that Rajesh Khanna, often referred to as the greatest and most successful actor in the history of Indian cinema, started his career with a flop film. Rajesh Khanna made his acting debut in 1966 with the film Aakhri Khat, which was a box office flop upon its release. His career was stuck in a rut initially, but the year 1969 proved to be a game-changer for Rajesh Khanna and saw his rise to superstardom.

The name of that movie, which was released in 1969, is Aradhana with Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in the lead roles. The film went on to become a massive blockbuster at the box office and made him an overnight star. After Aradhana, Rajesh Khanna starred in many other hit and blockbuster films and eventually became the first superstar of Hindi cinema. In the 1969 film Aradhana, he played a double role with Sharmila Tagore, and it was this film that proved to be a milestone in his career. 

After this film, Rajesh Khanna gave 15 back-to-back hit films in three years from 1969 to 1972. These 15 hit films not only brightened Rajesh Khanna’s fortunes but also made the makers of the film rich. Rajesh Khanna became the king of the industry after this film. His fees, at one time, became so high that makers were afraid to cast him. For the unversed, Rajesh Khanna initially charged around Rs 10 lakh per film. Following the success of films like Aradhana (1969), his remuneration rose to between Rs 20 and Rs 27 lakh during the 1970s.

Rajesh Khanna’s debut film Aakhri Khat emerged as a classic even after being a flop. This film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Academy Awards in 1967. This film was much talked about at that time, and later it was also made in Tamil, Telugu, and Turkish.

The film was remade in Tamil as Poonthalir starring Sivakumar and Sujatha in 1979, in Telugu as Chinnari Chitti Babu in 1981, and in Turkish as Garip Kuş in 1974.

READ | Rs 3 crore mansion in Ahmedabad, Rs 2 crore Mumbai home, Mercedes-Maybach S560 worth Rs…: Inside Jasprit Bumrah’s luxurious lifestyle, his net worth is Rs..