Veteran Raza Murad, who had essayed the role of a drunkard shaayar in the Rajesh Khanna-Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Namak Haraam, recently rubbed shoulders with Rajesh Khanna again while shooting for Ashok Tyagi’s upcoming film Riyasat. We spoke to Murad on the sidelines of the film’s dubbing.

Though the superstar has passed away, leaving behind memories of some outstanding movie, songs and dialogues, Rajesh Khanna’s last film <em>Riyasat</em> has still to hit the screens. The shooting of film, produced under the banner of Vijay Sirohi Productions and directed by Ashok Tyagi, is complete. “We are currently in the post-production phase and have decided to release it on 29 December, the birthday of the late star,” said Tyagi.

Amitabh Bachchan, who co-starred with the late Rajesh Khanna in Anand and Namak Haraam, has written a moving tribute to the departed star on his blog: A lowdown: “I first saw him in a film magazine, perhaps Filmfare. He was the winner of the Filmfare-Madhuri Talent Contest, a contest that I had applied to in the coming year and been rejected. His film 'Aradhana' was my next meeting with him, at the Rivoli Theatre in Connaught Place in New Delhi, which my Mother took me along to see. The packed audience and their reactions to this young handsome man was impermeable.”

As Bollywood’s first and by far the biggest superstar lost the battle between life and death, the wonder is that Rajesh Khanna begins to seem even more unreal and phenomenal than ever before.

Kakaji (as he was fondly called) and his sweet memories will always remain in our hearts. Shakti Samanta, the legendary film-maker who introduced Rajesh Khanna in iconic films like <em>Amar Prem, Aradhana</em> and <em>Kati Patang</em>, before his demise was all set to revive the family banner with the remake of <em>Aradhana</em>.

Earlier in the day we reported about Rajesh Khanna, one of the stalwarts in the entertainment industry, being unwell and critical. The man who took cinema to a different pedestal altogether has been suffering from Cancer since April this year. Yes, he has been an idol for many. When he wore a Bengali <em>kurta</em> and said his dialogues with a little bend on his neck, women all across the globe went crazy for this man, who is truly an epitome of performance. Who can forget his famous lines? “<em>Pushpa…I hate tears</em>…” from the movie <em>Amar Prem</em>.

India’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna’s condition is not all that well with him having stopped intake of food since the last few days. "Rajesh<em>ji</em> is unwell. He has stopped having food since the last couple of days," said Ashwin, the star’s manager adding, “He is not able to have his food." However, he refused to divulge whether the ailing star would be shifted to a hospital.