Shabana Azmi Reveals Rajesh Khanna's Humble Side: Superstar Stood in Toilet Queue

• Rajesh Khanna was Hindi cinema's first superstar, experiencing unparalleled fame in the early 1970s before his decline began around 1973 with Amitabh Bachchan's rise.
• His stardom waned due to an inability to reinvent himself, becoming difficult to work with, and personal struggles, including a collapsing marriage with Dimple Kapadia.
• Actress Shabana Azmi recounted a humbling incident during the film Avtaar (1983) where Khanna, despite his superstar status, had to stand in a public toilet queue with his 'dabba' due to lack of vanity vans.
• Azmi noted that in such conditions, Khanna "couldn't be like 'I am a superstar'," highlighting a moment where his celebrity was stripped away.
• Despite attempts in film production, politics, and television, Khanna never fully regained his former stature, with actor Sachin Pilgaonkar noting his "bad image" became hard to change.

Why It Matters: Shabana Azmi's anecdote reveals Rajesh Khanna's humbling reality, showing fame's transient nature.