Rajesh Khanna is often called ‘The first superstar’ of Hindi cinema. His fan following holds no bounds and especially among women. People have heard several stories of his stardom. However, once he attained fame, there are many of his co-stars who have also spoken about his starry tantrums. He had a reputation of also of being late on set. Some people have also said that he himself led to the decline in his stardom. Sharmila Tagore, who shared the screen with him in several memorable films, offered candid reflections on Khanna’s life in the foreword of Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, a biography by Gautam Chintamani. In the book, she revealed why she believed Khanna’s stardom slipped through his fingers.Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore made a hit pair on-screen as they shared screen space in movies like ‘Aaradhna’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Daag’ and many more. She had said in this book, “Like his friendships, Kaka didn’t nurture his stardom and allowed it to slip from his grasp. He failed to notice that the audience was changing, and that the roles he had been doing were becoming less and less relevant. Kaka either couldn’t or didn’t reinvent himself to remain contemporary; so much so that he became almost a caricature of himself, and people began to mock him.” Khanna was lovingly referred to as ‘Kaka’ by his friends and colleagues. Tagore also pointed out how Khanna’s generosity, though admirable, sometimes backfired. He was known to shower friends with lavish gifts, including apartments. But, she noted, “In return, he expected far too much which ended up putting a strain on the relationship.” Her reflections didn’t stop at the professional front. Sharmila spoke honestly about some of the challenges she faced while working with the superstar—particularly his tendency to show up late on set. “But what affected me personally was his habit of coming late to work. I went to the studios at 8.00 a.m. and wanted to be back with my family by 8.00 p.m. But this was impossible, since Kaka never arrived before 12.00 noon for a 9.00 a.m. shift. And we could never finish on time. As a result, the entire unit would pressurize me to work overtime and complete the schedule. This became the norm, and since I had many films with Kaka, I found myself in a quandary,” she wrote.
