He's often cited as the original "superstar" of Hindi cinebiz. Ali Peter John met up with a gleeful "Kakaji," who's thrilled to be back in the acting saddle bagging a clutch of movies with new and young filmmakers…
 
The aging emperor had left his throne years ago, but he was still an emperor at heart. He had no regrets about losing his throne, because while he was still the reigning emperor (who was also known as the greatest 'Superstar' Indian cinema has ever seen and perhaps will never see again) he found time one morning to take a momentous decision.

He decided to keep the superstar away from him. He knew it was a golden era which was going to last forever. Rajesh Khanna kept Rajesh Khanna to superstar away from him and decided to be the Rajesh Khanna he was, the Jatin Khanna who had started life as a nobody, was chosen by God to touch the sky of success and fly far beyond.

He realised he had finally found peace by keeping away from the other Rajesh Khanna who was threatening to turn him into a super human being, tempting him to believe that he had come down as a blessing from heaven, destined to rule forever. Glimpses and memories of that other Rajesh Khanna kept and still keep peeping into his peaceful life but he has now mastered the art of keeping "him" away.

"I am living like a real king now. I have nothing to worry about what the world says or want me to do. I can do all the things I could never do when I was the superstar. I am totally at peace now. Yes, I remember the past at times but I know it gives me both a blend of pleasure and pain. I want peace, I want to live as the king and emperor of my own free world which is my kingdom now".
 
I spent two hours with this new king, two days before his birthday (December 29).He has given his palace, Aashirwad, an entirely new look. This was the same bungalow which was a place of pilgrimage once. He has been personally supervising the reservation of the old bungalow, trying to turn it into a palace of peace where he wants to spend rest of his life.

He could have easily sold the bungalow like some of his seniors like Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Dev Anand have sold theirs and made crores of rupees and more, but he is Rajesh Khanna, the man who is a dil ka raja and mann ka malik.

He will not sell the bungalow which he had brought from Rajendra Kumar, the most successful stars of the '60s in the hope of success rubbing off on him and that is just what had happened 40 years ago. His son-in-law, Akshay Kumar, daughters Twinkle and Rinke wish to turn the bungalow into a 'Rajesh Khanna Museum' and he loves the idea.

He is now all set to take his place as the king of Aashirwaad. I sit with him in his makeshift office within his bungalow which is decorated with awards and trophies he has won, the last being the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' conferred on him by IIFA.

The pride in his voice when he says the award was presented to him by Amitabh Bachchan takes me by some surprise, but I try not to show it. I also find it surprising that the superstar who once asked only for the best roles is now excited about doing a TV Serial for Doordarshan and about to start another soon. We talk randomly and even go rambling during our talk and at the end I still wonder if I know Rajesh Khanna even after 45 years!
Excerpts from the conversation…
 
There is a lot of talk about you being seriously sick and even your family coming back to you. How far is this story true ?
I am a human being, I am going older and the kind of life I have lived was bound to affect my life and it is now. I have been asked to give up alcohol completely, because the doctors say that a drop of liquor can kill me. I have stopped drinking completely for the first time in my life. As far as my family coming back is concerned, I must say that everything turns out for the good in the end. I don't want to say anything more about my family matters, because it is something very personal and all I can say is that I have never been so happy in my life as I am these days.

The good word is making the rounds that you are back as an actor...
Yes, the word is indeed very good and true. Rajesh Khanna was always an actor and will always be an actor till the end. That is why I am back and this time I am here to stay.

How did you decide to come back after taking a break, something I would call an unwanted break?
I did not have to decide. It was the actor within me who decided that it was time to act again and prove that a good actor can never go away. An actor always lives as an actor and dies as an actor, if he is a true actor. I had to take a break because the right kind of roles did not come my way. And, besides I was involved in politics, which made me shift to Delhi where I spent most of my time and had very little time to be in Bombay which is my home and the home of the film industry.

What made you take to politics?
Just one call from Madam Sonia Gandhi. I have always been a Congressman and then I was invited to join the Party and play an active part and the invitation came from Madam Gandhi herself. I had no choice. I just said 'Yes' and followed whatever the Party asked me to do. I was given a chance to work for the party whose policies I always believed in. What more could I ask for if I had to take to politics seriously?
 
How was your experience as a politician?
I have never been a complainer or a grumbler. I don't have any regrets about my experience in politics. It was a new challenge and you know, I have never shirked from taking up challenges. It was my principle when I was a superstar, which I followed even when I went into politics. I always knew I had to do something more than just being a great superstar. I always wanted to do something to serve my country and my people. Moreover all the filmmakers of my time had stopped making films. I was surprised to see a new generation of filmmakers com¬ing up to me with offers to act. I was inspired by their enthusiasm and accepted some good roles which I thought would be the right kind of roles to start one more innings in my career, which has seen so many phases and so many colours, under all kinds of conditions and circumstances.