When Rajesh Khanna Refused to Meet Akshay Kumar and What It Reveals About His Stardom

Actor Raju Shrestha recalls rare anecdotes that highlight Rajesh Khanna’s towering ego, old-school hierarchy and the shifting power dynamics of Bollywood.

Rajesh Khanna’s superstardom was unlike anything Hindi cinema had witnessed before him. At the peak of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he wasn’t just a leading man — he was a phenomenon. But along with unmatched fame came a strong sense of pride, authority and hierarchy, aspects of his personality that continue to surface through stories shared by those who worked closely with him.

One such account has recently been recalled by actor Raju Shrestha, popularly known as Master Raju. He shared an incident involving Khanna’s son-in-law, Akshay Kumar. According to Shrestha, when Akshay once visited Rajesh Khanna at his residence, the legendary actor refused to come downstairs to meet him. Khanna reportedly remarked that he was Akshay’s father-in-law and therefore saw no reason to go down himself — firmly stating that Akshay should come to him instead. The moment reflected Khanna’s deeply ingrained belief in hierarchy and respect, both professionally and personally.

Shrestha also spoke about Khanna’s on-set behaviour, which often reinforced his superstar status. Despite having worked with him as a child artist earlier in his career, Khanna reportedly did not recognise Shrestha years later. Producers, too, were accustomed to adjusting their schedules around him. There were times when filming would only begin once Khanna arrived, and crew members would judge the mood of the day based on how his car approached the set — a fast arrival meant work would happen, while delays often meant uncertainty.

Another notable memory from the past involves a disagreement during the filming of Bawarchi. Shrestha has previously recalled a clash between Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Bachchan, triggered by a comment Khanna allegedly made about Amitabh Bachchan, who was then rising rapidly as a star. Jaya strongly defended Amitabh, signalling what many now see as a symbolic moment of transition in Bollywood — from Rajesh Khanna’s romantic hero era to Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” dominance.

While Rajesh Khanna’s confidence and ego were integral to his superstardom, they also became part of a complex legacy. After delivering an unprecedented string of hits, his career witnessed a gradual decline as audience tastes changed and new stars took centre stage. The contrast between his peak and later years has often been cited as a reminder of how fleeting fame can be in the film industry.

Akshay Kumar himself has spoken in the past about observing Rajesh Khanna’s journey closely. He has acknowledged that witnessing his father-in-law’s rise and fall taught him important lessons about resilience, discipline and the unpredictability of stardom — values that Akshay continues to emphasise in his own career.

Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012, but stories like these keep his persona alive — not just as Hindi cinema’s first superstar, but as a man shaped by immense adulation, unwavering pride and the relentless evolution of the industry he once ruled.