Rajesh Khanna, a revered icon in Bollywood, celebrated for his iconic films such as Namak Haram, Disco Dancer, Karm, and Haathi Mere Saathi, is still fondly remembered today for his remarkable acting talent. However, as time passed, eventually the actor watched as his once-thriving career began to decline after he had ruled the Hindi film industry for decades.
In a 2012 article by Rediff, journalist Ali Peter John reflected on his encounters with Rajesh Khanna throughout the years, sharing a story about how the actor dismissed an offer to join the reality show Bigg Boss during a low point in his career.
In his later years, when Rajesh Khanna had limited film opportunities, he was approached to participate as a contestant on Bigg Boss. The show's producers offered him an impressive sum of Rs 3.5 crore per episode, but he declined the offer.
Ali Peter John had revealed in the interview, “Once, the makers of Bigg Boss called me to fix a meeting with him; they wanted him in the Bigg Boss house. But he said, “Nahin, nahin, Rajesh Khanna aise show thodi karega (Rajesh Khanna won’t work in such shows).”
“I tried to convince him, but he said no. The Colors people told me they were willing to pay him Rs 3.5 crore for every episode he appeared in, but he said no.” Ali recalled, adding, “A few days later, he called me and said he wanted to do the show, but by then Colors had lost interest,” he added.
Colors was reportedly prepared to offer the actor Rs 3.5 crore for each episode. He also noted that he attempted to persuade Khanna to accept the offer, but the actor was adamant about declining. Eventually, Rajesh Khanna reconsidered and expressed interest in participating, but by that time, the channel had lost interest in featuring him on the show.
Ali Peter John recounted how insecure Khanna felt about the rise of Amitabh Bachchan. He even went so far as to speak negatively about Bachchan to his future wife, Jaya Bachchan, and would deliberately ignore him during visits to the film sets. Interestingly, the third season of Bigg Boss was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The journalist who was close to the actor also reminisced about his encounter with the superstar during his final days. He shared that he met Khanna just two months before his passing, during which the legendary actor remarked, "Agar Ghalib daaru peekar mar sakta hai, toh main kyon nahin? (If Ghalib could die after drinking alcohol, then why can't I?)"
Khanna passed away on July 18, 2012, after his health had been declining since July 2011, when he was diagnosed with cancer.
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