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Rajesh Khanna ‘wasn’t normal, he was a very special man’

His estranged wife Dimple Kapadia says Kaka wanted to die with grace

IANS
Published: 11:27 August 19, 2012

Image Credit: AFP
Cinema legend Rajesh Khanna died on July 18 at his Bandra residence after a prolonged illness. He was 69.

For the first time after Rajesh Khanna’s death, his estranged wife Dimple Kapadia opened up about the time she spent with him. She said he was special and destined to be a superstar.

“I spent my life with him, as I was 16 when I got married. He was not a normal man, he was a very special man,” Kapadia said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the event Retrospective of Rajesh Khanna — Superstar Forever on Saturday.

“There are so many things I can say about him, but what is very, very special about him is that his DNA was that of [a] superstar,” she added.

Recalling the last few days she spent with Khanna, Kapadia said: “In the last few days he said to me, ‘Pack up, the show is over.’ He also said, ‘I lived my life with [a] lot of grace, please see to it that I die with grace.’”

The retrospective is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a tribute to the cinema legend, who died on July 18 at his Bandra residence after a prolonged illness. He was 69.

The three-day event started on Saturday and will screen ten of the actor’s landmark films. These are Aap Ki Kasam, Aradhana, Aakhri Khat, Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Ittefaq, Avishkaar, Bawarchi, Safar and Anand.

The 55-year-old Kapadia, who was accompanied by her daughter Rinke, thanked the ministry for organising the retrospective and for helping Khanna’s fans relive the memories.

“I like to salute his each and every fan for having made this possible. I thank his fans all over India for all the love and support they have given — this is what he wanted.”

Also present at the opening ceremony, was producer-director Om Prakash, who worked with Kaka, as Rajesh Khanna was fondly called, in Aap Ki Kasam.

“It’s [a] great gesture to remember Kaka with his films including Aap Ki Kasam, in which I had the privilege to cast him. Rajesh and I had an association for so many years. He was a very warm-hearted person and a great actor. I think he was an asset and rather pride of any filmmaker he worked with,” said Prakash.