‘He abused me, was arrogant’: Rajesh Khanna’s co-star explains his downfall | Bollywood News
Veteran actor Tej Sapru has opened up about a memorable incident involving Rajesh Khanna, revealing that the Hindi cinema legend once unexpectedly abused him on a film set. He also clarified that Rajesh later apologised and made amends. Speaking on The Rediff Podcast, Sapru described Khanna as a man of contradictions, someone who could be arrogant at the peak of his stardom, yet one of the most generous people he had ever known.
Sapru, whose career spans more than four decades and over 300 films, said the episode left him deeply hurt because of the immense respect he had always held for India’s first superstar.
‘Rajesh Khanna had arrogance, but he was also incredibly generous’
Talking about Rajesh Khanna’s personality, Sapru said fame often changes not only stars but also the people around them.
“Rajesh Khanna had arrogance. It happens when you’re at the peak of your career. More than you, it’s often the people around you whose heads get turned. That happens. But at the same time, I have never seen a more generous man than him.”
Sapru then recalled an incident from the shoot of one of their films in Kashmir.
“There was an incident when we were working together. I suddenly heard someone abusing me from behind. I turned around and saw that it was Kaka ji (Rajesh Khanna).”
Without revealing exactly what led to the outburst, Sapru said Khanna was with one of the film’s actresses when the incident took place.
Story continues below this ad
ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s wife Sangeetha withdraws divorce case, retains right to file fresh petition
‘I was very upset’
The actor admitted the incident affected him deeply because he had always admired Rajesh Khanna and respected him as a senior.
Explaining why the incident upset him so much, Sapru added, “His first film was with Sapru saab (my father D.K. Sapru). I have immense respect for him. Not just for him—for anyone senior to me or anyone who has worked with my father. Whether they are a bigger actor or a smaller one, I never sit on a chair until they are seated. Even after giving him so much respect, I don’t know what happened that he abused me from behind. I was very upset.”
‘Hey, tall boy… forget it’
The following day, the team was shooting a chase sequence in the snow. Still upset over the previous day’s incident, Sapru deliberately chose not to greet the superstar.
Story continues below this ad
“That was the first day I didn’t wish him. I sat on my chair with one leg crossed over the other.”
After the shot, Rajesh Khanna walked up to him.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, tall boy… forget it.’”
Sapru replied, “Sir, you abused me without any reason. You were the one who had told me we were just having fun.”
According to the actor, Khanna immediately tried to patch things up.
Story continues below this ad
“He said, ‘It happened. Forget it. Come.’ Then he asked me to come to his hotel with him.”
‘He knew he had made a mistake’
Although Sapru was staying at a different hotel, he accepted Khanna’s invitation after finishing work.
“I told him, ‘Sir, I’ll come to your hotel. I’m staying somewhere else. I usually freshen up in the evening because I don’t even have a proper washroom in my room.’ From there, he took me along, and we spent the whole night eating and drinking together. He realised that what he had said was wrong.”
Sapru said the incident never affected their relationship. In fact, after Rajesh Khanna’s career slowed down, he made it a point to visit the actor regularly.
Story continues below this ad
“When his downfall came, he had an office in Khar. If not every week, then at least once every 10 days, I would go and meet him. His favourite whisky at the time was Red Label, and I always took a bottle with me.”
‘His downfall came earlier because of that arrogance’
Looking back at Rajesh Khanna’s career, Sapru said he believed the superstar’s arrogance may have contributed to his decline, especially when compared with contemporaries like Dharmendra and Jeetendra.
“I think his downfall came earlier because of that arrogance, especially when compared to Dharam ji (Dharmendra) and Jeetu ji (Jeetendra). That’s how I felt.”
Despite that observation, Sapru was emphatic that no other actor has enjoyed the kind of stardom Rajesh Khanna did.
Story continues below this ad
“But as a star, I have never seen anyone with the kind of following he had.”
Rajesh Khanna on being called arrogant
Rajesh Khanna’s perceived arrogance has long been part of conversations around his superstardom. In 1973, BBC journalist Jack Pizzey documented his attempts to interview the actor in the documentary Bombay Superstar. Recounting his experience, Pizzey described Khanna as having “the arrogance of Napoleon”.
However, Rajesh Khanna himself rejected the perception that he was arrogant during an appearance on Aap Ki Adalat in 1994.
Responding to the criticism, he said, “Had I been arrogant, our audience, who lifted me from an actor to a star and then to a superstar, would have never made me any of these. The public knows everything, both inside and out. Nothing can be hidden from them. I am not worthy of being loved by such a big crowd. Respect, fame, affection and desire don’t last in this world. Where I stand today, someone else stood yesterday.”
Story continues below this ad
He continued, “Human beings are those who can accept their mistakes. A person who realises their mistake has a big heart. Those who think they are not doing anything wrong and are on the right path—on the path that God has put us on, where we will find His love—will pass through happily. Very rarely do we remain sad; only sometimes do the winds blow that way.”
