Does 'Raj' in Yash Raj Films stand for Rajesh Khanna? The partnership that wasn't

India Today

4 days ago

Gautam Chintamani's 'Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna', a story told through the actor's cinematic marvels and misses, includes an intriguing anecdote - one that may change how you look at Yash Raj Films (YRF).One of India's biggest film production houses, YRF was founded by Yash Chopra, known for directing classics, and revolutionising Bollywood's idea of romance. And it all began with 'Daag: A Poem of Love' (1973).advertisementStarring Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore and Rakhee in the lead roles, 'Daag' was Chopra's directorial debut under his own production banner. That Khanna and Chopra didn't collaborate again for over a decade despite the roaring success of the film is a well-known fact. What remains lesser known is the depth of their creative bond before the legendary fallout.
As mentioned in 'Dark Star', Chopra had already established himself as a promising director but had worked only under his brother Baldev Raj Chopra's banner, BR Films.
Yash Chopra wanted a fresh start, and in Rajesh Khanna, he saw that beginning. According to a section of the industry insiders, their rapport during the making of 'Daag' was so strong that they reportedly decided to co-produce the film. An excerpt from the book reads:The film also went on to create an urban legend that remains one of the Hindi film industry's most romanticized myths. According to a cross-section of people from within the industry, especially Khanna's close confidants, Rajesh Khanna and Yash Chopra had an unofficial agreement that 'Daag' would be a co-production between the two. Even though Yash Chopra, like his brother Baldev Raj Chopra, was officially Yash Raj Chopra, the presence of 'Raj' in Yash Raj Films banner is believed by many to stand for 'Rajesh' (sic). Even with Chopra's proven talent, the project may not have taken shape without Khanna's involvement.The book further states: "If stories are to be believed, the circumstances in which Yash Chopra started his production house were far from rosy. It had been a decade since he started directing, and all his films had been for BR Chopra's production house, and it was Khanna, along with producer Gulshan Rai, who helped Yash in more ways than one when he decided to go independent (sic)."Khanna's presence in the film helped Yash put the project together with less difficulty than it otherwise might have entailed, because when 'Daag' was beginning to be filmed, Khanna was at the peak of his popularity. The falling out between Khanna and Yash Chopra following 'Daag' that resulted in the actor not featuring in any of the director's ventures over the next decade and a half, and Khanna teaming up with BR Chopra, add to the mystery surrounding the whole issue. But the perceived veracity of his tale depends largely on which side one chooses to view the whole affair from, as the bigger the myth, the more sides a story tends to have in the world of Hindi cinema (sic). What led to the rift between them remains a mystery. Chopra, in later interviews, hinted that he didn't want to deal with Khanna's infamous "tantrums," Khanna, on the other hand, claimed Chopra would make him work unnecessarily long hours."Regardless, the success of 'Daag' should have ideally inspired a creative partnership between Rajesh Jhanna and Yash Chopra, who had seen a successful collaboration with 'Ittefaq' too. But that wasn't meant to be (sic)," Chintamani writes.Interestingly, it was not just Chopra's journey that Khanna played a role in. According to the book, Khanna is believed to have discovered the iconic writing duo Salim-Javed. But like Chopra, they too eventually drifted away.'Dark Star' notes:And while Chopra went on to helm 'Deewar' which, in a way, sealed Khanna's fate, Khanna not only had to be content with seeing Yash collaborate with the very man who would take away his crown, but was also at the receiving end of the wrath of Salim-Javed, the writing duo he practically discovered (sic). Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of the Hindi cinema, died on July 18, 2012 in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife, Dimple Kapadia, and daughters, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna.- EndsMust Watch