From the TIMES OF INDIA:
The antim yatra of the 'first superstar of Hindi cinema' was truly befitting the cult status Rajesh Khanna enjoyed, in his hey day.
Laid on a make shift bed with a big black and white poster of him in front, Khanna's body was ferried in a truck adorned with flowers and garlands, with estranged wife Dimple, younger daughter Rinke, son-in-law Akshay Kumar and grandson Arav by his side.
The procession started on Thursday at around 10.15am from Khanna's bungalow Aashirwad on Carter Road, reaching the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle West by 11am.
Thousands of people lined the road, anxiously waiting to catch one last glimpse of the legend. So much so traffic had to be diverted with the police finding it increasingly difficult to control the swelling crowd.
In fact, the kind of mass hysteria was reminiscent of the days when Khanna, at the peak of his career, would be mobbed by fans during public appearances.
A section of the crowd, in its desperation to cross over to the side that houses the crematorium, caused some of the iron railings of the divider to come crashing down, creating a gap. They then rushed toward Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, catching them unaware.The situation was saved when in the nick of time, a few police officials encircled the father-son duo for security purposes.
The last rites started only at around 11.15 am, thanks to the incessant rains, and saw just a clutch of film personalities including Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Anju Mahendroo, Karan Johar, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Anu Malik, Raza Murad, Sajid Khan, Vipul Shah, Abbas-Mustan, Shakti Kapoor and Sudhir Misra near the pyre.
However the crowd outside wouldn't give up. Some of the people even climbed the walls hoping they could catch a glimpse of the last rites.
It was at about 11.40am that Akshay and Aarav lit the pyre. Anu Malik told TOI after returning from the funeral, "When I saw the body, I could make out from Kakaji's face that he had 'come to terms with everything'. He looked really peaceful. Inside the crematorium, everybody was still. No one felt that Kakaji would ever die. His death is a personal loss to every one."
Raza Murad observed that Rinke in particular was inconsolable. "Kakaji was unarguably the only superstar in the hundred years of Indian cinema," he said.
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| Rajesh Khanna 29 December 1942 - 18 July 2011 |
Laid on a make shift bed with a big black and white poster of him in front, Khanna's body was ferried in a truck adorned with flowers and garlands, with estranged wife Dimple, younger daughter Rinke, son-in-law Akshay Kumar and grandson Arav by his side.
The procession started on Thursday at around 10.15am from Khanna's bungalow Aashirwad on Carter Road, reaching the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle West by 11am.
Thousands of people lined the road, anxiously waiting to catch one last glimpse of the legend. So much so traffic had to be diverted with the police finding it increasingly difficult to control the swelling crowd.
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| Thousands attend Rajesh Khanna's funeral (view more pictures on Google) |
A section of the crowd, in its desperation to cross over to the side that houses the crematorium, caused some of the iron railings of the divider to come crashing down, creating a gap. They then rushed toward Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, catching them unaware.The situation was saved when in the nick of time, a few police officials encircled the father-son duo for security purposes.
The last rites started only at around 11.15 am, thanks to the incessant rains, and saw just a clutch of film personalities including Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Anju Mahendroo, Karan Johar, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Anu Malik, Raza Murad, Sajid Khan, Vipul Shah, Abbas-Mustan, Shakti Kapoor and Sudhir Misra near the pyre.
However the crowd outside wouldn't give up. Some of the people even climbed the walls hoping they could catch a glimpse of the last rites.
It was at about 11.40am that Akshay and Aarav lit the pyre. Anu Malik told TOI after returning from the funeral, "When I saw the body, I could make out from Kakaji's face that he had 'come to terms with everything'. He looked really peaceful. Inside the crematorium, everybody was still. No one felt that Kakaji would ever die. His death is a personal loss to every one."
Raza Murad observed that Rinke in particular was inconsolable. "Kakaji was unarguably the only superstar in the hundred years of Indian cinema," he said.
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