IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award

Bollywood's veteran actor Rajesh Khanna, fondly called Kaka by his fans, today recieved the lifetime achievement award at the 10th annual IIFA awards ceremony in Macau.

The 66-year-old thespian attained the heights of superstardom in the 70's with his remarkable performances in films like Amar Prem, Aradhana, Kati Patang and others.

Once touted as the ultimate romantic actor of Bollywood, Khanna became extremely emotional as accepted his award today.

Meanwhile, Arjun Rampal won the best supporting actor award for his role of a rockstar in Rock On.

Rampal pipped Irrfan Khan, Sonu Sood and Vinay Pathak, who were nominated for same, to win the award.

The best supporting actress award went to Kangana Ranaut for her role of a supermodel who becomes a drug-addict in Fashion. Her co-nominees were Ila Arun, Kirron Kher and Shahana Goswami.

Akshay Khanna won the best actor award in a negative role for the sleek thriller Race.

Farhan Akhtar won the best newcomer award (male) for Rock On while Asin Thottumkal got the best newcomer award (female) for her role of a do-gooder in Ghajini.

Reviewed by:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=64d8f7b8-811b-437f-b83a-1a91d216508c

Honour for Kaka

Honour for Kaka

Even after four decades, no actor has been able to match the appeal of
Rajesh Khanna in his heyday, writes M.L. Dhawan

THE charisma of Rajesh Khanna, who was recently honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at IIFA, in China lies in the fact that he imbued majesty to mediocrity. His ordinary physique, average looks and non-heroic visage brought to fore the loveable boy-next-door.

Rajesh Khanna’s claim to greatness lies in the strength of his performance in limited number of films.

While actors spend years and do films before that one elusive hit that launches them to stardom, in case of Rajesh Khanna success came in only with his fourth film — Aradhana (1969). As Arun driving an open-jeep, serenading Vandana (Sharmila Tagore) to the strains of ‘Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegee tu...’ through the winding routes of a hill train in Darjeeling, he became an instant favourite. Also in the film, Rajesh Khanna made pre-marital sex permissible for the first time on the screen in an age of conventions and conformism. Aradhana catapulted him to glory and made him the first superstar of the Bollywood. His Do Raaste was released within weeks of Aradhana and he was established as a major star with both the films celebrating a silver jubilee. After this, there was no looking back for Khanna who became a phenomenon.

In Anand(1970), Rajesh Khanna delivered a stunning performance in the role of Anand, a cancer patient who smiled and laughed in the face of death and surrendered to it cheerfully. Rarely has a fictional character affected the viewers so much as Anand. At the end of the film, a tape recorder plays Anand’s last message. Such was the impact Khanna made through the film that his voice alone evokes the power of his presence now gone. Khanna demonstrated his sensitivity as an actor with a touching performance as a mental patient in Khamoshi. In Amar Prem, he brought to life an existential dilemma in a way seldom seen on the screen. He lent a raw vulnerability to the role of a suspected killer on the run from a mental home in Itefaq.

The loquacious lover of Aradhana and Andaz, who swept the heroine off her feet with his charm and simplicity, acquired a serious countenance in Aap Ki Kasam and Safar. In Aap Ki Kasam, it was a marriage soured by suspicion. Khanna slipped into the soul of the character so unobtrusively that the audience felt it was a chunk from his real life.

In Dushman(1971), Khanna played a truck driver, who accidentally kills a man. Sentenced to look after the family that had lost its sole breadwinner, he tracks the real villains. Khanna put his heart and soul into the role.

He is compelling to watch as Sonu in Namak Haram (1973). He gave an intelligent and understated performance of a thoughtful man looking for a deeper meaning in life. Vikram (Amitabh Bachchan) played a capitalist while Sonu, who plays a worker, is his friend. A crisis in Vikram’s life forces them to enact new roles that lead to a conflict in their ideology. In the given situation, Sonu prefers death to disloyalty and betrayal. Khanna’s portrayal of a man who faces crisis of conscience was mind-boggling. Film critics had no benchmarks against which to measure the magnitude of Khanna’s success, and the kind of adulation that came his way.

The hysteria he created with his crinkling eyes and lily-white smile drove fans into raptures. More than four decades after Aradhana and many other blockbusters, there has never been anyone to rival the appeal of Rajesh Khanna in his heyday.


Reviewed by:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090614/spectrum/main6.htm

Emotional Rajesh Khanna thanks Amitabh Bachchan

Macau: An emotional Rajesh Khanna, fondly called Kaka by his fans, received the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Lifetime Achievement Award from Amitabh Bachchan as the audience gave Bollywood’s “first superstar” a standing ovation.

The yesteryear’s heartthrob, who was in his element as he belted out popular dialogues from his hits, could not hide his emotions as the 12,000-strong crowd cheered him.

“My dear friends at Macau, I greet you. I have got this award after 180 films and a 40-year-long journey in the film industry and I am obliged to everyone, especially my fans and Babu Moshay [Amitabh Bachchan]. Babu Moshay, thank you very much, God bless you,” the actor said.

“Life should be big, not necessarily long, and my Babu Moshay is living life big, living life king-size. We started with Anand and today we are on this platform. He is very dear to me, he is my Babu Moshay.”

The 66-year-old actor went on to deliver his most memorable dialogue from cult classic Anand: “Itna pyar achcha nahi, Babu Moshay, ham sabhi rangmanch ki kathputliyan hai...” much to the delight of the audience that clapped wildly.

“Look where the journey started and how it reached its destination. It is all the blessings of God and the public. He [Bachchan] is not a brand ambassador for me because he is very close to me. I am here today because Amit gave me the chance and due to the public, which gave me the chance to become an actor, star and superstar,” said the veteran actor.

Khanna said he was sharing the same stage with the mega star after 16 years but “you [Bachchan] have given a big smile this time.” — PTI