In the late-1960s, the term superstar was used for the first time in the Indian film industry for Rajesh Khanna. The actor ruled the box office but his reign was short as his string of hits ended by the mid-70s. At that point, two young actors vied for that vacant superstar spot. The one who eventually won was Amitabh Bachchan. But his ‘only competition’ and the man some regarded as an even bigger actor was Vinod Khanna.

When Vinod Khanna was bigger than Amitabh, Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor
Vinod Khanna began his Bollywood career in 1968 at the age of 22, a year before Amitabh made his debut. It was in the 1971 hit Mera Gaon Mera Desh that Khanna became successful and started to be considered the next big thing. His villain act overshadowed the hero Dharmendra, even though the latter was more established. Over the next few years, Vinod Khanna gave hits like Mere Apne, Achanak, and Imtihaan. Up until that oint, he was considered a bigger star than his contemporaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, and Rishi Kapoor.

When Vinod Khanna quit Bollywood to be a sanyasi

Vinod Khanna developed a spiritual bend in his 30s. In 1982, when he was 36 and at the peak of his acting career, the actor shocked one and all by announcing that he was quitting acting and moving to the US. The reason was that he wanted to be closer to his spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh. Till 1986, Khanna lived at Osho’s ashram in Oregon, living as a hermit (sanyasi) away from all materialistic comforts. He returned to India in 1986 and resumed his film career. While Vinod Khanna could never recapture his stardom, even in the late-80s and early-90s, he was a bigger star than the younger lot – including the three Khans. In this period, he gave hits like Dayavan, Chandni, and Jurm.

Vinod Khanna’s later film career and death

After the 90s, Vinod Khanna moved to playing supporting roles, appearing in films like Kranti, Risk, Wanted, Dabangg, and Dilwale. In 2017, the veteran actor was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He was hospitalised after suffering from severe dehydration and passed away on April 27. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthmously. His last release was in 2020, a delayed film called Guns of Banaras.

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