Vinod Khanna

Introduction

Vinod Khanna was the lead hero and was one of the highest-paid actors of his time in Bollywood. He was born into a business family on October 6, 1946, in Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan). His family moved to Mumbai shortly after he was born due to the Indo-Pak partition. He attended several different schools before graduating with a degree in commerce from Mumbai's Sydenham College.

He performed in two innings, first from 1973 to 1982 and then again from 1987 to 1995, after taking a five-year break. He made his acting debut as a villain in the 1968 movie "Man Ka Meet." During his early career, he was primarily cast in villainous roles or supporting roles in movies like "Purab Aur Pachhim," "Aan Milo Sajna," "Mera Gaon Mera Desh," and others.

Personal Life

Vinod Khanna has often been characterized as a lesser-known hero. He was charming, popular, and in a lot of movies, but he never achieved the same level of success as his two contemporaries, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan. Nonetheless, his attitude and propensity for taking risks made him stand out from the crowd. He once said that he prefers to live according to spirit rather than the rules of life.

In 1971, Khanna and Geetanjali got married. Akshaye Khanna and Rahul Khanna are their two sons. In 1975, Vinod Khanna became a devout follower of "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh" and referred to himself as Osho's "mali." He lived with his guru, taking care of him for four years. Vinod was called the "sexy sanyasi" since Osho was considered a sex guru. At Osho's American commune, Rajneeshpuram, he was the lone Indian guest. He did laundry, gardening, and dishwashing during his free time.

Throughout his time in Rajneeshpuram, he spoke with his family by telephone. Unfortunately, this phase turned out to be terrible since people told his sons that their father had run off with Osho. After a while, the Khanna family began to be greatly affected by these reports, and Vinod and Geetanjali decided to get a divorce. In 1990, Khanna wed Kavita, and the couple had a daughter named Shraddha and a son named Sakshi.

Education

After completing his class II at St. Mary's School in Bombay, Vinod Khanna transferred to Delhi. After the family relocated to Delhi in 1957, he started attending Delhi Public School on Mathura Road. In 1960, the family moved back to Bombay, but he continued his education at Barnes School in Deolali, which is close to Nashik. Vinod fell in love with movies while he was in boarding school when he saw the epics Mughal-e-Azam and Solva Saal. He got his commerce degree from Bombay's Sydenham College.

Career

It was at a party that the renowned Sunil Dutt saw Vinod Khanna and gave him his big break in the film industry. Dutt offered to cast him in movies he was producing for his brother Somu. According to a statement made by Vinod, his father resisted his attempts to progress in Bollywood and even threatened to shoot him. But his mother saved him, convincing his father to allow their son to pursue a career in the film industry.

His debut movie was 'Man Ka Meet,' which was made by Sunil Dutt in 1968, where he played the role of a villain. He started his career playing villainous and supporting characters in hugely successful movies like "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971), "Sachaa Jhutha" (1970), and "Purab Aur Paschim" (1970).

The audience loved his charming personality, and he quickly began receiving offers for leading roles. Amazingly, he is among a few lucky Indian actors who have effectively transitioned from portraying negative roles to positive ones. His big break came in 1971 with Gulzar's movie "Mere Apne." Gulzar's 1973 film "Achanak," in which Khanna played an army officer facing the death penalty, was also well appreciated by the audience.

He starred in several popular films in the 1970s, such as "Hera Pheri," "Parvarish," and "Muqaddar Ka Sikander." After hitting his zenith in Bollywood, he left the film industry in 1982 and became a disciple of Osho for five years. After Dimple Kapadia and he got divorced in 1987, he returned to the movie industry and starred in the hugely successful film "Insaaf" alongside Kapadia. He acted as a hero in several solo and multi-starrer films from 1987 to 1994, including the 1984 release of "Eena Meen Deeka," "Satyamev Jayate," and Chandni.

Top 5 Films of Vinod Khanna

Mere Apne (1971)

Vinod Khanna plays a disillusioned young man named Shyam in this Gulzar-directed movie. He is caught up in a violent war between two rival factions and gives an outstanding performance. Vinod Khanna's versatility as an actor is showcased as the film delves into themes of loyalty, family, and the pointlessness of violence.

Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)

This legendary Bollywood film features Vinod Khanna shining alongside Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. The film, which Manmohan Desai directed, is about three brothers who were raised in distinct religious homes after being split up as children. The film's enormous success might be attributed to Vinod Khanna's charismatic and convincing portrayal of Amar, a moral police officer.

Qurbani (1980)

Vinod Khanna plays the role of Rajesh, a bold and attractive criminal who becomes caught in a risky game of love and betrayal in Feroz Khan's action-packed thriller. Qurbani, which is popular for its fascinating soundtrack and intense action scenes, highlighted Vinod Khanna's star talent and his capability to play complex roles.

Dayavan (1988)

In this criminal drama, which Feroz Khan directed, Vinod Khanna plays the title character, Shakti Velu, a gangster who has a terrible history and is looking for forgiveness. The struggle between good and evil, morality, and love are among the topics covered in the movie. Vinod Khanna won praise from critics for his powerful depiction of a troubled character.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

This heartfelt drama, which Prakash Mehra directed, highlights Vinod Khanna's versatility as he plays Amit, a prosperous businessman who falls in love with a woman who is terminally ill. Vinod Khanna's emotional performance gives the story more depth as the film explores themes of sacrifice, love, and fate's inevitable course.

Politics

In 1997, Vinod Khanna became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The following year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Gurdaspur constituency, Punjab. He was re-elected from the same constituency to the Lok Sabha in 1999. Later on, in July 2002, he was appointed Union Minister for Tourism and Culture. He was transferred as Minister of State to the "Ministry of External Affairs" (MEA) six months later. He was elected again from Gurdaspur in 2004. But in the general elections of 2009, Khanna was defeated. He won re-election from the same constituency in the general election of 2014 to the 16th Lok Sabha. No other celebrity from Bollywood has won four Lok Sabha elections (1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014). He was also the Union minister of state for external affairs, tourism, and culture.

Demise

Khanna was admitted to the "Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre" in Girgaon, Mumbai, on April 2, 2017, and stayed there for a few weeks due to acute dehydration. After his death on April 27 at 11:20 a.m. (IST), it came out that he had had severe bladder cancer. That same day, he was cremated in the Worli Crematorium.

Interesting Facts about Vinod Khanna

• Khanna was raised in a Punjabi family. His family relocated from Peshawar to Mumbai shortly after the nation was divided, shortly after he was born.
• At first, Khanna wanted to become an engineer, but his father got him into a commerce college so he could help continue the family's textile business.
• At first, Khanna wanted to become an engineer, but his father got him into a commerce college so he could help continue the family's textile business.
• He eventually stopped caring about getting a degree in commerce and began taking part in other extracurricular activities at college, like theater.
• He also fell in love at the same time with Gitanjali, one of her theatrical friends. Following several months of dating, the pair resolved to tie the knot as soon as they were able to secure work.
• Vinod Khanna disclosed in an interview that his father was never in favor of any choices he made. Khanna's father threatened to shoot him and kill him if Khanna disobeyed his orders when Khanna told him he intended to become an actor. But after a week of Mann Ki Baat's release, Khanna had as many as fifteen film offers on the table. Fortunately for Khanna, his mother intervened and eventually persuaded the "head of the family," but only on the condition that he join the family business if he still couldn't establish himself even after two years.