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The Indian film industry first experienced the phenomenon of superstardom with Rajesh Khanna, whose unparalleled popularity and massive fan following earned him the title of India’s first superstar. Khanna naturally became the highest-paid actor from 1970 to 1987 and set a record by delivering 15 consecutive hits before facing a sudden downturn in his career. Despite reigning supreme, the actor did not charge a single penny for his 1971 film Anand. Surprisingly, this decision turned out to be quite lucrative.
In a conversation with ETimes, historian Dilip Thakur revealed that Khanna secured the distribution rights for Anand and ultimately earned ten times more than what his fees would have been, thanks to the film’s success. Thakur explained, “Khanna didn’t charge any remuneration for Anand. Instead, he obtained the distribution rights under his firm Shaktiraj Films,” adding that “he earned ten times more than his remuneration through distribution”.
Before Rajesh Khanna was cast, Anand’s director Hrishikesh Mukherjee had considered Kishore Kumar and Dharmendra for the role. The filmmaker even narrated the story to Dharmendra during a flight from Chennai to Mumbai. However, Mukherjee later decided to drop both actors in favour of casting Khanna. Dharmendra, upset by this, confronted Mukherjee about narrating the film to him only to give the role to Khanna.
Dilip Thakur further disclosed that, as the superstar of the era, Rajesh Khanna had a packed schedule with back-to-back films. Nevertheless, Mukherjee insisted that Khanna provide him with dates in bulk, to which the actor agreed. As a result, Anand was shot in just 28 days. Thakur said, “Hrishi Da insisted that Khanna give him his dates in bulk,” adding, “Anand’s shoot was completed in 28 days.”
Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed Rajesh Khanna in four films: Anand (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Namak Haraam (1973), and Naukri (1978). Except for Naukri, all three films were major box-office hits.
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