Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Khanna were two of the biggest stars of Indian cinema in the 1960s and 1970s. The duo shared screen space in films like ‘Aan Milo Sajna’ and ‘Sachaa Jhutha’, lighting up the silver screen with their powerful performances. While both enjoyed their share of fame, their journeys also took them into the world of politics, and that’s where things got a little tense between the two.
Rajesh Khanna once slammed Vinod Khanna’s promises
Khanna, often remembered as the ‘first superstar’ and a symbol of romance in Hindi cinema, also had a short but memorable political career in the 1990s. In one of his last interviews before his passing in 2012, the actor took a direct aim at his fellow star-turned-politician, Vinod Khanna.“Vinod Khanna had made a bundle of promises with the voters in Gurdaspur, including that he would set up a film academy, but never honored his words. The voters threw him out,” the ‘Aradhana’ actor had said in the 2012 PTI interview.
Vinod Khanna’s political journey
Vinod Khanna entered politics in the late 1990s. He was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Gurdaspur constituency under a BJP ticket in 1997. The ‘Qurbani’ actor’s popularity carried him through more wins in 1999 and 2004.During his political journey, he also held important posts, including serving as the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, and as Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs. However, his success was short-lived; Vinod lost the Gurdaspur elections in 2009 but later made a comeback in 2014. It was after his 2009 defeat that Rajesh Khanna’s comments gained attention, as he pointed to Vinod’s ‘unfulfilled promises’ as a reason behind the loss.
Rajesh Khanna called out Vinod Khanna’s fake promises’
Rajesh, who served as a Member of Parliament from the New Delhi constituency, had his own take on political ethics. “I would never like to ditch my own people with hollow promises like other politicians. I am of the opinion that when you are not able to serve the masses, then don’t make fake promises to them since these are the sins,” Khanna had said in the same interview.
Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Khanna’s demise
Rajesh Khanna passed away on 18 July 2012 at his Mumbai home, Ashirwad, after a long illness related to liver cancer. His passing marked the end of an era, that of Hindi cinema’s most loved romantic hero. Vinod Khanna, too, left behind a lasting legacy before his passing on 27 April 2017 in Mumbai at the age of 70, after battling cancer.
