Success can change the way people behave, and veteran composer Anandji Virji Shah of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo recently reflected on how he witnessed that transformation in Rajesh Khanna. While recalling the actor’s early days and his rise to superstardom, Anandji also drew a contrast with Amitabh Bachchan, whom he said remained grounded despite achieving immense success.Amitabh Bachchan had endured several setbacks and flops before ‘Zanjeer’ in 1973 changed the course of his career. The film established him as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars, and even at 83, he continues to remain active through his work.Rajesh Khanna’s journey was markedly different. He rose from humble beginnings to become Hindi cinema’s first major superstar, enjoying an extraordinary run at the box office. According to Anandji, however, his attitude underwent a significant change once he reached the peak of his stardom.Anandji recalled that Kalyanji-Anandji had played a role in supporting Khanna during the early phase of his career and had even recommended him to filmmakers and producers.“In the beginning, we were promoting him. It was our music in his film Raaz. We pushed him, referred him to producers. We referred him for Sachaa Jhutha, saying he will click with the audience. Distributors would often see ‘kaunsa ghoda chalne wala hai’ and because Kalyanji knew astrology, people would often listen to his suggestions,” he said in an interview with Vickey Lalwani.Kalyanji was known for his interest in Vedic astrology, and Anandji said people in the industry often valued his opinions. But as Khanna’s career took off, Anandji noticed a change in the way people who had once been close to them behaved.“As time went, these people who once addressed us as sir, changed. Now, they thought of themselves as someone great. Expected people to bow before them,” he recalled.Anandji said Amitabh Bachchan, in contrast, maintained the same attitude even after becoming a superstar.“One thing that sets apart Amitabh Bachchan for all of them is that he always remained the same. He has been like a student always. He never argues with his directors,” he said.The veteran composer also spoke about Khanna’s drinking habits and alleged that the actor’s growing stardom came with frequent tantrums.“Rajesh Khanna got addicted to alcohol. He would drink a lot,” he said.Anandji then recalled an incident involving the 1972 film ‘Joru Ka Ghulam’. According to him, Khanna attended the recording of a song but later refused to shoot it.“This one time, he came for the recording of a song. After that, when he went on the set to shoot, he created a scene that he won’t do the song. I was like, then why did you ask me to come? If you don’t want to do it, don’t shoot. Edit it out,” he recalled.‘Joru Ka Ghulam’ was released in 1972, two years after ‘Sachaa Jhutha’, which had emerged as one of the biggest successes of 1970.Anandji also recounted another interaction with Khanna related to ‘Dushman’. He said the actor once called him to listen to a song and then left after whistling.“Later, he called me to hear a song from Dushman. He whistled and left. I was left confused. Then I asked, ‘Does he want a song like this for a scene like that?’ What does he know about direction? We will put songs as per the need of the story,” he said.The composer said Khanna’s behaviour made him feel that his period of superstardom would eventually come to an end.“I knew that his prime is over and his success has come to an end. I told him that clearly. Now that you think you know it all, your days have come to an end. This is not how one behaves. It is important to be grounded and let people do their job,” Anandji said.Years later, Anandji met Khanna again after the actor’s career had gone through a decline. He recalled that Khanna brought up their past disagreement.“When he finally had his downfall, we met this one time. Rajesh Khanna asked me: ‘Anand Ji, has your anger subsided now?’ I told him, the reason why I was mad has happened. Now, it is pointless,” he recalled.At 93, Anandji said what disappointed him most was the change he had witnessed in someone he had known and supported during his early years.“Rajesh Khanna’s attitude changed a lot. First he addressed me as sir, now he expected people to stand up in order to show him respect if he walked into a room or set. For me, he was my child only. We only pushed him as an actor,” he said.Khanna made his acting debut with ‘Aakhri Khat’ in 1966 and worked with Kalyanji-Anandji for his second film, ‘Raaz’. The duo subsequently recommended him to filmmaker Manmohan Desai for ‘Sachaa Jhutha’ in 1970, which went on to become one of the year’s highest-grossing films.Khanna subsequently delivered a string of successful films and became one of the most influential stars of his generation. However, accounts from people who knew him, including actors Mumtaz and Anju Mahendru, have also spoken about changes in his personality during his years at the top.Actor Tej Sapru, who worked with Khanna, once recalled on The Rediff Podcast: “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.”
