Gautam Chintamani’s ‘Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna’ tells the story of the man who was India’s first superstar – an icon, yet an enigma.
While the book traces Khanna’s meteoric rise in the film industry, it also paints him as a mystery – and never abandoned his regal lifestyle, even during his decline.
An excerpt from the book reveals how Khanna loved to splurge during his overseas trips. True to his king-like personality, he often bought gifts for people, but would frequently forget about them after purchasing.
Chintamani writes in ‘Dark Star’ that after Khanna’s death in 2012, as many as 64 packed suitcases were found at his bungalow, Aashirwaad, carrying gifts he had brought from abroad but never gave away.
The excerpt reads:
“Every time Khanna made an overseas trip, he returned with gifts. Sometimes he presented them to the people he had picked them up for, and sometimes he forgot about them. Many a times, he didn’t even bother opening the suitcases he returned with. After his death, almost 64 unopened suitcases were found strewn across Aashirwaad – quite odd for someone who loved to play the host and lived to regale people he considered close.”
These unopened suitcases seemed to stand as a testament to Khanna’s loneliness or selective companionship. He cherished having people around at his bungalow, often reminiscing about his glory days, his collaborators who were no longer around, and an industry that changed entirely by the 2000s.
The book notes:
“Rajesh Khanna’s loneliness was not something that was locked or hidden from sight. Neither was it a burden left behind by unprecedented fame. As is evidenced by the unopened boxes, it was possibly ingrained deep within him.”
The author tries to read the symbolism of those unopened suitcases.
“Locked up in the suitcase of his heart was the need to be alone – something that had always existed. But the world was either too blinded by the radiance of the star or too lost in the darkness surrounding it to notice.”
Khanna, a superstar like no other, died in Mumbai on July 18, 2012, after a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife, Dimple Kapadia, and daughters, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna.