Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar

The untold story of Hindi cinema’s first superstar

Obsessed female fans routinely sent him love letters written in blood. Hysterical crowds camped outside his house to catch a glimpse of the superstar. And the frenzy unleashed by his public appearances was enough to give law-enforcers a nightmare. In the 1970s, Rajesh Khanna achieved the kind of fame that no film star had ever experienced before—or has since. But having climbed to the pinnacle of success, he then saw it all vanish. And through it all, he remained a fighter till the very end.

In this riveting biography, journalist Yasser Usman examines Rajesh Khanna’s dramatic, colourful life in its entirety: from little-known facts about his childhood to the low-down on his relationships and rivalries, from his ambitious hopes to his deep-seated insecurities. What emerges is a tantalizingly written, meticulously researched chronicle of a fascinating and mercurial man—one who was both loved and feared by those closest to him. It is a story that encapsulates the glittering, seductive, cut-throat world of Bollywood at its best and its worst.