Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Poets Seldom Die .. They Only Go Insane

154,410 items / 1,205,621 views

held to cosmic fate by
a burning hot chain
the flesh was willing
the soul in pain
fetid heart
rotting brain
humble but vain
like seminal drops
November rain
memories
morbidity
on a cosmic
membrane
holistically sustain
profound and profane
bursting forth
from the womb
of a grain

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Sunni Lover of Hussain



I had posted this at Facebook. .. deleted my Facebook account too



I posted the original picture at Flickr and than cross blogged it here at Facebook , my pictures are street documentary of the people I shoot .

Normally I try to to keep text minimal on my pictures, I am adding text here now.

A Muslim cross dresser posted a comment here on this picture at Facebook..I removed her from my friends list

Her comment was that the Rasul has not said to do all this and dont show such things.

Now for me to add my response will not help or change her mindset ..I have no agenda of promoting Shiasm, but I do look forward to amity between all sects who believe in Allah His Holy Prophet and Ahle Bayt..

The person in the picture is a Sunni beggar who one would see at Makhdoom Shah Babas Shrine at Mahim.

I saw him, got to know him and he is a kindly person , than I began seeing him outside Kaiser Bagh scourging his burnt body with blades.

People gave him alms generously , and I never question a persons faith , I am a street photographer , I shoot and share a cosmic reality of pain.

I have till date never seen this Sunni beggar since the time I last saw him perhaps 5 years back or more.

Some say he died a tragic death ..but nobody knows the truth and I wish him a long life wherever he is.

Now to the Muslim cross dressers remarks on my picture that I give a public response , she finds fault with what I have shot and according to her goes against the Holy Prophets beliefs.

Had I written Lover of Hussain perhaps it would have not provoked her I wrote Sunni and I shot a Sunni doing a ritual that is predominantly done by Shias during Moharam..

Although I have shot Sunni boys cutting up themselves during Ashura in Hyderabad Bibi Ka Alam procession .

What made me remove her from my friends list at Facebook is her short sightedness , she gets upset seeing a guy cut himself up for Hussain and she or her kind dont get upset when Muslims kill Muslims lustfully in the name of Allah and Jihad .

And they maintain a eunuch silence like the rest of the Muslim world it is this blasphemous silence that promoted this war on Humanity.. it is this silence that has destroyed the ethos of Brotherhood and Peace loving Islam.

Here I am happy to be an Indian born Muslim I have no issue with any Muslim sect save the one that promotes sectarian strife under the guise of petro powered apostasy of Hate for all religions save their own kind of Islam..Islam that they have hijacked in the name of Allah Ho Akbar as a war cry instead of a call for prayers

I reiterate I will remove any person from my friends list if he or she ridicules the person I have shot or shows disrespect to the ritual or custom of a person I have shot .I am not forcing you to like what I shoot , I dont shoot porn , I dont ridicule your religion custom or belief so why target me or my picture because you dont like it..

I did not shoot my picture to flatter your bigotry in the first place I shoot what I am destined to shoot it is part of my karma.

I shoot Hinduism Sufism Christianitry you hardly find fault only my Shias pictures of blood letting get on your goat .It hurts me humanly, I follow Facebook Flickr Twitter terms and guidelines and you are not a moderator or web master see my pictures as pictures only and move along.

And knowing the kind of pictures I shoot and public on Facebook you should not add me at all.

Yes I will Remove and Block friends if they attack my integrity as a human being.

I cannot become a Wahabbi or adhere to your beliefs , I am a born Shia I shall die one too .

Stop proselytizing your hate for me through adverse comments.

A simple request and a disclaimer too.







my poem


his body is burnt beyond relief
he a Sunni lover of Hussain
enjoined to a greater devotion
that of pain suffering and grief
he does not need to be a Shia
or turn a new leaf
to each his own belief
a tear that becomes an ocean
true religiosity respecting
man and mankind in brief.

I dont know whether he is alive or dead but he has disappeared completely he used to sit at the Dargah of Makdhoom Shah Baba Mahim but he is not seen there at all..

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Labels:

Ashura 10 Moharam Amin Imambada Mumbai

210,335 items / 1,737,494 views


The Ashura here is depicted as a passion play by the Iranis of Mumbai, seething pain brought out by symbolism talking you back to the sands of Karbala , this place is completely jam packed , photography is very tough from ground level unless you climb one of the gates and shoot from there as I have done several times , but I stopped climbing the door because of my damaged hand..
I come early shoot from below , barefeet and the last part is when Habib Nasser and his boys do hardcore Zanjir and Sword matam..this photography I do sleeping on the floor beneath the blows of the sword.. I have been lucky, I dont participate in the kamazani here ..

Later at about 4 pm there is a procession that comes from Yakoob Gully and meets with other mourners coming from Moghul Masjid at JJ Hospita side gates ,this procession with matam, kama matam , zanjir matam moves at slow pace and reaches the gates of Rhmatabad Shia cemetery , outside the zanjir matam by the Naugawan Anjuman should not be missed.

Inside the cemetery it is a private Shia affair a majlis called Shame Gariba and than the hardcore sword matam and zanjir matam within the open space of the cemetery..
If you shoot here you can shoot any war zone in the world.. here too I shoot from ground levvel mostly lying on the floor between the legs of the Sword matam dars..

I am updating this post for my friend Dr Glenn Losack MD from New York  who dressed in mourning black will shoot this event with me..he is my extended family and the Guru of my 4 year old street photographer grand daughter Marziya Shakir..
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Labels:

A Shia Child and His Heritage

A Shia Child and His Heritage

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Dance of Death Tandav On the Soul of Shimr

yes
I bleed
doing
the cosmic
dance
of death
on the soul
of shimr and yazid
both death sprouting
seeds withering weeds
a sword cutting the head
as our blood runs down
the streets a 1400 year
old reminder on the soul
of history and humanity
ya hussain our heartbeat
a hindu shia barefeet
going round and round
in a black winding sheet
a kaif on concrete
a pain ghame hussain
a circle complete
shiasm a file of fatima
her tears that no tyrant
ever born could ever delete
72 warriors that no emperor
with all his army
could ever defeat
truth equality
justice liberty
the voice of
the bahrainis
i echo
i repeat
saudi terrorism
aggression
the fire
of freedom
can never
unseat

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In Bahrain Pakistan Malaysia Saudi Arabia They Persecute Shias Too

181,781 items / 1,432,301 views

those who
believe
in martyrs
the tyrants
will rule
persecute
kill maim
lock up
in dungeons
without trial
judge or jury
execute
so words
on the banner
a thought
transmute
humanity
suffers
who cares
a hoot
they rob
right to freedom
expression
of speech
unborn children s
hopes they loot
souls covered
with soot
soon their
kingdoms
their royal
asses
will face
the public's boots
eunuch silence
as the rest
of the world
watches mute
i would never
do the hajj
as a protest
where the
holy prophet
is under
house arrest
by wahabbi brutes
yes my karbala
is mecca medina
poetic pursuits
my ancestry
my shia roots
yes i am
a hindu shia
my cultural
inheritance
a message
on the soul
of mankind
permutes
barefeet
not just
essence
of christianity
or hinduism
it is man
i shoot

his god
i respect
i salute

my poetic tribute

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Tears On The Soul Of Bahrain

freedom
was also
the cry of hussain
humanity
thy name is pain
wahabbi hegemony
wahabbi imperialism
unleashing a fury
on the people
of bahrain
it is not about
sunnis shias
but human dignity
human rights
a human chain
what happens
in bahrain
affects me as
a human being
when freedom
is slain
yazid is alive
a poetic thought
remains
evil comes
evil goes
on its own
it cannot
sustain

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Princess Fatima Zaira My New Grand Daughter .

210,335 items / 1,737,148 views

a few days
before she turns
a month old
god beauty
humility
created
carved
mold
measure
to measure
her worth
in gold
his bounty
now a treasure
in our household
keeps on crying
she caught cold
with love
she has to
be cajoled
but when she
smiles
a sight
to behold
nerjis
marziya
princess zaira
our happiness
threefold
a new chapter
a new beginning
on the threshold
like a poem
wordlessly
unfolds
a camera vision
they all three hold

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Princess Fatima Zaira My New Grand Daughter .

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Sardar Nawab, Syed Ahmed Moib Nasser and Me

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Documenting The Pain of Shias in Mumbai

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A Chant Called Ya Hussain

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The Shia Blogger And Hussain

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Bollywoods Most Wanted Dam Madar Malang

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Qaidi No 911 Zindagi Nahi Mili Dobara

love is a jail
broken wings
deleted dreams
i wail for
that elusive
warrior female
figment of
my poetry
through
the rough
waters
of her
consciousness
i sail
love
is a prison
cell
walls
i cant scale
i remember her
her laughter
her free spirited
bonhomie
my queen
of the mountains
hills and dale
she may have
left me but
honestly
i am still
on her trail

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Supermom No1

180,276 items / 1,416,918 views

photo courtesy yogen shah

I wrote a few lines of this poem , first time on a piece of paper while visiting Mr Shatrughan Sinhas house dedicated to Punamji I call her Bhabiji but I needed a picture to upload it here on Flickr and so she sent me this image shot by dear friend Yogen Shah.. celebrity photographer.

My humble poem to Mrs Punam Shotgun Sinha..

first she was
a super wife
of a super hero
shatrughan sinha
a super netaji
a super task
she performed
lord ganesha
lalbagh cha raja
dabbang
gifted success
to sonakshi sinha
named after
goddess parvati
from a girl next door
to a no 1 heroine
transformed
the new diva
who has taken
bollywood by storm
the rise of a super
duper heroine
the rise of
a super mom
punam sinha
no 1 going
great guns
in super form
shatruji
luv kush
on cloud 9
hospitable
humble
warm
producers
lining up at their
house like
bees in a swarm


first copy sent to her
through sheer humility
via gmail.com
bhabiji tujhe salam
jai shri krishan
jai shri ram

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Jackie Dada My Hero

Jackie Shroffs look in Hero was put together by me and this is a fact that Dada knows and I know many many years back and my relationship with Dada happened in the early 70s at the Oberois when I worked at Sheraton Treasures a shop that belonged to the Burlington group and Mr Shashi Kapoor was one of the partners I was told though it was late Mrs Jenifer Kapoor that instilled the love of fashion in my soul and helped make me what I am today my journey as sartorial magician would have been incomplete without her generous contribution...

You Can Create Actors You Cant Make Another Jackie Shroff

178,482 items / 1,396,981 views

the soul
of man
you can
magically
morph
the soul
of an artist
you can reform
jacke shroff
the silence
in a tea cup
of a creative
storm
on a celluloid
platform
you are what you are
is how a scene you
perform brainy
brainstorm
jackie dada
an exclamation
but no not a full stop
a re surging force
time and tide
he transforms
a poet a philosopher
philanthropist
kind congenial warm

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You Can Create Actors You Cant Make Another Jackie Shroff

178,482 items / 1,396,981 views

the soul
of man
you can
magically
morph
the soul
of an artist
you can reform
jacke shroff
the silence
in a tea cup
of a creative
storm
on a celluloid
platform
you are what you are
is how a scene you
perform brainy
brainstorm
jackie dada
an exclamation
but no not a full stop
a re surging force
time and tide
he transforms
a poet a philosopher
philanthropist
kind congenial warm

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Mr Shakti Kapoor And Me in Kampala Uganda

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Dam Madar Malang of Bollywood

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Kuch Toh Log Kahenge

Kuch To Log Kahenge
Logon Ka Kaam Hai Kehna
Chhodo Bekaar Ki Baaton Mein
Kahin Beet Na Jaaye Raina
Kuch To Log Kahenge
Logon Ka Kaam Hai Kehna

Kuch Reet Jagat Ki Aisi Hai
Har Ek Subah Ki Shaam Hui
Tu Kaun Hai Tera Naam Hai Kya
Seeta Bhi Yahan Badnaam Hui
Phir Kyon Sansaar Ki Baaton Se
Bheeg Gaye Tere Naina
Kuch To Log Kahenge
Logon Ka Kaam Hai Kehna

Humko Jo Taane Dete Hain
Hum Khoyen Hai Inn Rang Raliyon Mein
Humne Unko Bhi Chhup Chhup Ke
Aate Dekha Inn Galiyon Mein
Yeh Sach Hai Jhoothi Baat Nahin
Tum Bolon Yeh Sach Hain Na

Kuch To Log Kahenge
Logon Ka Kaam Hai Kehna

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Mr Rajesh Khanna The Dam Madar Malang of Mumbai

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Mr Rajesh Khanna The Magician Blogger of Bandra

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Pyar Se Log Mujhe Rajesh Khanna Kehte Hain

193,839 items / 1,565,756 views

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Rajesh Khanna (Hindi: राजेश खन्ना About this sound pronunciation (help·info); Punjabi: ਰਾਜੇਸ਼ ਖੰਨਾ, Urdu: راجيش کھنہ) (born Jatin Khanna on 29 December 1942) is a multiple Filmfare and BFJA award-winning Indian actor from Hindi films,[1] and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician.

During his career, he appeared in over 160 films of which 96 had him as the solo hero and 17 were two hero projects.[2] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the maximmmum BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi)- four times and was nominated for the same 27 times.He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Khanna is referred to as the “First Superstar” of Indian cinema.[3][4][5] He had "the biggest and the maddest fan following, especially his female fans," which, according to Entertainment One India, has not been duplicated since he rose to fame in the 1970s.[6] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performance in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Doli, Ittefaq and with Aradhana became the first superstar.These successes from late sixties put him among the most successful actors in the Indian film industry and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema. In addition to acting, Khanna has worked as a playback singer and film producer and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament served a five year tenure as MP from 1991 to 1996.


Early life

Khanna was born in Amritsar on 29 December 1942. He was raised by foster parents (relatives of his biological parents) who were childless. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon. Khanna attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School in Girgaum, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Their mothers were kirtan[clarification needed] pals.[7] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of plays in his school and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[8] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[9] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC).[10] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored him. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife call him Kaka.[11]
Adult life
See also: Simple Kapadia, Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, and Jeetendra

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[12] They were in the relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the breakup.[13] Later Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in 1973 and has two daughters from the marriage.[14] Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated in 1984 as his schedule kept him away much of the time and Dimple became interested in pursuing an acting career,[15] and thereafter lived separately, but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[16] In the eighties Tina Munim was romantically involved with Khanna till the time she decided to leave the industry to pursue her higher studies.[17] Years of separation brought about mutual understanding between Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.[13] Reporter Dinesh Raheja stated that “the bitterness between Rajesh and Dimple washed away", noting that they are seen together at parties and that Dimple campaigned for Khanna's election and also worked in his film.[18] Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[19] while their younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[20] is married to London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[21]
Early career (1966–1975)

Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten thousand contestants.[22] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[23] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.[24] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[25] Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[26] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[27] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq. Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[28] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[29][30] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[31] Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also became the biggest grosser ever till then.Khanna is also credited with giving Salim Akhtar and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[32] Javed Akhthar accpeted in an interview "One day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film's script was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."[33]

He formed popular on screen pairs with actresses Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Tina Munim, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Poonam Dhillon.[34][35]

In films like "Anand", "Namak Haram", "Bawarchi" and "Naukri" directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Khanna always had author-backed roles and for this reason Khanna charged only half of his market rate while doing these films.[36] Indiatimes ranked Anand amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[37]

Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[38] They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates, and would party a lot."

During the peak of his career he would be mobbed during public appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in their blood.[39] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna'. Even today, he remains the favourite of mimicry artists, who copy his trademark style and dialogue delivery. During the filming of Amar Prem there was a scene that needed to be filmed at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realized that if the public found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[40] Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers “Girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria.”[41]

Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar in the 1970s were based on Rajesh Khanna. During the filming of the song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was shooting for a Satyajit Ray film and director Shakti Samanta had to shoot their scenes separately and then join the scenes together.

The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[42] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Bombay University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[43]

Sharmila Tagore said in interview to India Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they would marry his photographs, they would pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this before and since.”[44]

Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.

Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive hits between 1969 to 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[45] The commercial success of his films declined during 1976–78.

Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his idols.Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[26]
1976–1978

Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in nine films that were not commercially successful. Seven of these were rated highly by critics upon their release and have achieved strong cult status over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[46] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janata Havaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meeraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[47] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[48][49] K. Balachander then remade his film Arangetram in Hindi as Aaina with Mumtaz in the lead and Khanna in a cameo appearance in 1977. This film was also unsuccessful. The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption becoming success.[50] Actor Joy Mukherjee made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[51] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[52] However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social sober household meaningful films during this era and played a variety of characters in films of various genres. During this phase too he had box office hits like Maha Chor,[53] Chhailla Babu,[54] Anurodh and Karm.
Later career (1979–present)

After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[55] such as Amardeep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[56] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[57] Naya Kadam,[58]Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[59] Shatru,[60] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar (1986) and Amrit. Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[61] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[62] But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the original.[63]

Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar(1986).[64] Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and "Adhikar", both with Khanna.[65] He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[66] He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna delivered multi-starrer superhits like Rajput, Dharam Aur Kanoon,[67] Zamana, Dil-E-Nadan, Ashanti, Awam (film) and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[68] Nishaan and Maqsad.[69] Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his role in the film.[70] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag. Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and seven of these became hits[clarification needed] and in addition had three films with him in special appearance.[71] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg as his most favorite directorial venture and said in an interview " Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the sets."[72]

He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu, thriller in Redrose, political adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat, comedy in Hum Dono and Masterji, family drama like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote, social film like Avtaar, Akhir Kyun and with different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, patriotism in Prem Kahani, college romance in Bandish and professionalism in Awaaz.

He shared a very close relationship with R.D. Burman[73] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were very close friends and have worked together in more than thirty films.[74] Work of Pancham with Khanna is regarded as legendary and far superior than any other actor-music director combinations.[75] The king of playback singing Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[76][77] In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[78] Rajesh and Pancham worked together even after the death of Kishore in the films Jai Shiv Shankar, the unreleased film Police Ke Peechhe Police (both produced by Khanna ) and Sautela Bhai. Khanna even helped Leena Gangully and Amit Kumar in completing Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, the last film directed by Kishore who died before the completion of the film.

Actors who were part of the cast of most of his films include Ashok Kumar, Sujit Kumar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, Asrani, Bindu, Vijay Arora, Roopesh Kumar, Dina Pathak and A. K. Hangal, who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[79][80] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash and Jeetendra.

Pyarelal quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 Amrit, we gave hits together both as films and as music scores.... When we went on our first overseas concert tour in 1984, he came and danced to three songs. He was very particular about his music and would take a tape home if he could not assess a song. He would then give his feedback after a day or two. But if he liked a song at the sitting, he would loudly shout “Wah! Wah!” in appreciation…. It was God’s blessing that we came up with such a vast range of hit songs for him, including in his home productions Roti and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Bewafai. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too. He had great interest in music and a terrific sense of melody too. His music is dominated by Pancham (R.D. Burman) and us and we accepted Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh only because Rajesh Khanna had some misunderstanding with Pancham then and did not want to work with him.”[38] Khanna would always request music directors to fit in Kishore Kumar wherever possible. In fact, Kishoreda was very reluctant to sing "Waada Tera Waada" in Dushman and suggested Laxmikant Pyarelal to get it sung by Rafi. Then Laxmikant made Kishoreda meet Rajesh Khanna and Khanna winked at Laxmikant and told Kishoreda that in that case the song should be scrapped. On hearing this Kishore immediately agreed to sing it by himself for Khanna.[38]

Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to see Khanna.[81] The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.[82] Sharukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[83] Actor Tom Alter confessed “I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero — romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real — he was my hero; the reason I came into films and he still is.”[84] Actor Irrfan Khan accepted in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality."[85] Rajesh Khanna was the last superstar to set fashion trends.[86] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[87]

Akshay Kumar was a fan of Khanna since his childhood and later when he became Khanna's son-in-law, he told "Look at what destiny had in store for me. I married my idol's daughter! I still can't believe it. Who wasn't his fan in the 1970s? I remember queuing up for hours to watch Aradhana, Amar Prem, Kati Patang. These are among my favourite films of all times."[88] When Action Replayy, a film starring Akshay in the lead released in 2010, Akshay ensured that Rajesh Khanna was the first person to watch the film in theaters. On the eve of the film's release Akshay said "The film is set in the era that belongs to my father-in-law. I am proud of being part of the family now. Mr Khanna will be the first person to watch the film. I'm determined about that."[89] Action Replayy was a film which paid homage to the decade when Rajesh Khanna ruled.[90] Amitabh Bachchan, while presenting the lifetime achievement award to Khanna at the IIFA awards of 2009 acknowledged, "The word superstar in the Indian film industry was for the first time coined for him".[91]

From the early nineties onwards he stopped acting and served as M.P. of New Delhi Constituency from 1991 to 1996. During that period, he returned to acting, appearing in Khudai(1994). He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen(1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa(2002). In September 2007, he officially announced his planned return to the big screen, signing a contract for several new films, including some television serials.
Television

He is a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[92] He is the Guest Faculty of 'Specialized Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies'. On April 10, 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad as a tribute to Pancham.[93] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro) [94] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[95] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment, and is currently in the process of creating his own music channel "R.K. Music Channel".[96] He also endorsed Star se Superstar tak - a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, K for Kishore aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with Creative Eye Banner (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a TV serial, Bhabhima, with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009.[97] Khanna cites the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films these days. He said in an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials, "The reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film".[98] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[99]
Political and business career

Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.[100] He has since been a political activist for the Congress Party.

Khanna and a group of foreign investors have bought land in Shirdi on which they plan to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[101]

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The Greatest Actor On Earth Mr Rajesh Khanna

193,790 items / 1,564,733 views


An institution a guideline for acting and a stellar performer he has aged gracefully, taken a philosophical backseat from the rat race of Bollywood , nobody can touch his stature his reach and his success graph a phenomenon he was and still is .

He was not well but is recovering and these are pictures I shot of him at home and meeting him is going back to his world a world that never fades ..

I watch him emote , his nuances read like Ghalibs poetry, a piece of loaf and a glass of bubbly wine.. he is human generous understanding,he cannot and will not tolerate fools, and I try hide that aspect of my personality considerably well ..

He is very fond of me and behind this is a nostalgic anecdote that I narrated to him when I shot the pictures , and besides these three I shot another lot before I shall upload later.

Many years back I worked for Badasab and Kaka Saab as he is fondly called was very friendly with my boss Kishore Bajaj..I was young and a wee bit naive but I was not stupid I was a natty dresser those days..there was a party at Kishores house at Pali Hill and a lot Bollywood celebrities were there and the successful film Sauten had rejuvenated Mr Rajesh Khannas stature and he was there too.

He called me as he knew me and I told him why he did not let me do his clothes I was a fashion designer with Kishore , he answered he already had a designer Moiz and was ok with him , I blurted out Sir I am ready to be Sauten in that case.,..Sauten means second wife .. second fiddle in my case.,, as fashion designer along with Moiz... that almost made him burst out laughing..

My boss overheard this retort and the next day I got a massive dose of Kishores wild temper as Kishore Bajaj did not mix his friendship with business ..

And after so many years water under the bridge when Mr Rajesh Khanna calls me for his personal clothes whatever I go there and help him out...I go there simply to observe him , his style his effervescence of his moods gestures and sometimes his smiling rebuke,,

And no actor worth his salt can ever smile like Mr Rajesh Khanna.

Mr Rajesh Khanna is very fond of my grand daughter 3 year old Marziya Shakir a street photographer who is in pre KG but shoots on the Nikon D 80...he will inquire about her .. and on her birthday last year had invited her to his home placed her on his lap and became her grand father too..offering her sweets and got lost in a sad reverie of nostalgia and longing..

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The Sacrificial Goat And The Girl Child

210,321 items / 1,736,339 views

a poetic
thought
accidentally
came to mind
a thought
not at all kind
on the soul
of sacrifice
both the goat
the girl child
will be slaughtered
by sanctimonious
girl hating
mankind
death duty
hope piety
redefined

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Garbage Porn


from the womb
of garbage
man was born
man is mans
enemy sworn
nature he hates
emptying his
bowels on the
face of dawn
he comes
destroys
soon he
is gone
his children
suffer for
his faults
dreams
battered
torn
a nuclear
Apocalypse now
he spawns
what his neighbor
owns is what
he wants
lord of the flies
his heritage
of death
future
generations
haunts

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Humility is the Essence of Humanity


you stature
your height
your grandeur
your girth
you carry
your parentage
your heritage
your ancestry
in the womb
of your birth
humility
is the essence
of humanity
says mother earth
ashes to ashes
dust to dust
with all your
wealth is what
you are worth

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The Political Dead Soul of Man

this is man
lying politically dead
unsound
in an open grave
above the ground
he wont wake up
however hard
his comatose
soul you pound
a BJP pamphlet
on his
untwittering heart
silence all around
man his own greatest enemy
a knave a master
lord of the flies
a king uncrowned
his fragile world
a swine flu
has trounced

"SWINE!!The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually associated with pigs. When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off. " Nice Jewish Girl

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