An Indian actor, film producer, director, and politician, Vinod Khanna was the only solid contender to the might of Amitabh Bachchan. The veteran actor was known by many nicknames like the sweetheart of the seventies, and the sexy sanyasi, Vinod Khanna’s stardom and fanbase still live on even years after his demise. Known for his suave looks and his “panther walk” and his classic charm, Vinod Khanna had the attention of the entire room the minute he walked in. He was considered the best second lead actor in the industry. So much so that fans actually preferred him over the actual hero in the films; such was his charisma.  

Born on the 6th of October 1946 in a Punjabi family in Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan), shortly after his birth, his family moved to Bombay, post-partition. Khanna’s family is located back and forth between Delhi and Mumbai, though he attended the Barnes boarding school in Deolali, Nashik. During his time in boarding, Khanna watched superhits like Solva Saal and Mughal-E-Azam and fell in love with motion pictures.  

On the occasion of Vinod Khanna’s Birthday, Saregama Tweeted “Vinod Khanna was known for his work as an actor, film producer, director and even as a politician. He was the most actor versatile of all. Remembering him on his birthday.”

Surprisingly, Khanna started his career as a villain. He was spotted out by Sunil Dutt after his graduation and made his debut in Sunil Dutt’s movie Mann Ka Meet in 1968 as a villain. Khanna then went on to work on more villainous characters but it didn’t stick for long. He was just too good-looking to play a villain, is what people said. He successfully switched to playing heroes and his performance in 1973’s Achanak earned him critical acclaim.  

As popular and well-loved as Khanna, people also loved his bromance with fellow actor Amitabh Bachchan on the big screen. The two actors went on to work in some major two-hero films that were superhit nationwide such as Amar Akbar Anthony and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.  

In total Khanna starred in 47 multi-hero films acting with the best of the actor in the industry. He collaborated with Feroz Khan in Shankar Shambhu and with Shashi Kapoor in Ek Aur Ek Gyarah. With Amitabh Bachchan he co-starred in multiple movies; Heri Pheri, Zameer, Parvarish, Khoon Pasina. 

At the peak of his career, Vinod Khanna became a follower of the spiritual teacher Osho (Rajneesh) and took a sabbatical from acting. Although in the later 2000s, he made a comeback with supporting roles in movies such as Dabang. 

Some of Vinod Khanna’s best movies through the years include; Aan Milo Sajna (1970), Mere Apne (1971), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Achanak (1973), Haath Ki Safayi (1974), Hera Pheri (1976), Shaque (1976), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Parvarish (1977), Khoon Pasina (1977), Inkaar (1977), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Qurbani (1980), The Burning Train (1980), Chandini (1989), Surya: An Awakening (1989), Batwara (1989), Jurm (1990), Faristay (1991), amongst others. 

On 2nd April 2017, Khanna was admitted to the hospital for a few weeks after suffering dehydration. He died on 27th April and later on it was revealed that he had been battling advanced bladder cancer. He was cremated at the Worli crematorium. After his demise, at the age of 70, all of Bollywood joined in mourning the loss of one of the Hindi cinema’s legends. 

Coming to his various awards and accolades, Vinod Khanna won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in 1975. He was nominated for Filmfare Best Supporting Actor twice after that and twice for Filmfare Best Actor Awards between 1977 and 1981. In 1991, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award, followed by the Stardust Role Model of The Year Award in 2005. IN 2007, he received the Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2017, he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthumously.  

On the occasion of Vinod Khanna’s birth anniversary, Saregama celebrates his life and contributions to the Indian entertainment industry.  

Now you can stream the top hit songs of Vinod Khanna on Saregama Carvaan.  Saregama Carvaan is a portable digital audio player that comes with 5000 preloaded evergreen Hindi mp3 songs that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere without ad breaks or an internet connection. It also consists of other features like Bluetooth, FM/AM radio, USB, and AUX connectivity.