President of India Condoles Passing Away of Rajesh Khanna

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil has condoled the passing away of the former Hindi film world superstar, Shri Rajesh Khanna.

In a condolence message to the late actor's wife, Smt. Dimple Kapadia, the President has said, "I am saddened to learn about the passing away of Shri Rajesh Khanna. In his prime as an actor he was the heartthrob of the young generation of 1970s, who tried to model themselves on him and his style.

His powerful acting, which brought life into the celluloid character, he played in such films as 'Kati Patang', 'Anand', 'Amar Prem', 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' and 'Dharmatma' made him the first superstar of Hindi cinema. The timeless melodies in the films in which he starred, such as 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani�' in 'Aradhana', 'Zindagi Ek Safar' in 'Andaaz' or 'Yeh Shaam Mastani' in 'Kati Patang', are still remembered today.

In the hit film 'Anand', his dialogue "Arrey oh baabu mushoy hum to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain jiski dor us upar wale ke haathon main hai kab, kaun kahan uthega ye koi nahin janta" is so poignant today. In his passing away, the film world has lost a powerful actor and creative personality.

This release issued at 1900 hrs.