Rajesh Khanna is one of the most accomplished actors in Indian cinema. He had a remarkable acting career that left an indelible mark in Bollywood. His cinematic journey took an extraordinary turn with the release of Shakti Samanta’s film Aradhana. This film had a golden run at the box office and became the first Hindi Film to run successfully for more than 100 days. There were four shows a day for this film in the non-Hindi speaking areas of the Northeastern and 4 South Indian states. Aradhana ran for 3 years in theatres across South India and was a platinum jubilee hit across India. As per the reports, 42 million tickets for this film were sold at the box office. It earned Rs 7 crore at the box office. Aradhana was released at the cinemas on September 27, 1969. Aradhana boasted a stellar star cast comprising Sharmila Tagore, Farida Jalal, and Madan Puri. Rajesh Khanna played the dual role of a husband (air force pilot Arun) and son (Suraj Prasad Saxena) in Aradhana. This film propelled him to stardom.
Aradhana’s music also became a hit with the audience, especially the most loved song Mere Sapno Ki Rani. This song was shot amidst the beautiful mountains of Darjeeling. Rajesh Khanna’s signature head tilt and hand movement from this track became a hit with the audience. Kishore Kumar provided the vocals of this song, while Sachin Dev Burman composed the music.
Besides Aradhana, Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore had a successful collaboration in multiple hit films. These films include Amar Prem and Aavishkar. There was, however, a point when Sharmila Tagore decided not to work with Rajesh Khanna. She revealed this in the audiobook Rajesh Khanna: Ek Tanha Sitara. Sharmila Tagore explained that their on-screen pairing was highly popular. She, however, grew frustrated with Rajesh Khanna’s chronic lateness. His habit of arriving at noon for a 9 AM shoot shift led her to the decision that it would be better to work with other actors instead.
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