Mumbai, April 26 (). Vinod Khanna… a name which used to force the audience to clap as soon as it appeared on the screen. An actor who used to win hearts even when he played a villain on screen and was very handsome and fond of fitness in real life.
Very few people know that acting superstar Vinod Khanna was also great in sports. Vinod Khanna was born on 6 October 1946 in Peshawar (now Pakistan). After partition his family came to Mumbai. Here he received education in Delhi and Mumbai. He also completed his graduation from Sydenham College, Mumbai.
Vinod Khanna was very fond of sports since childhood. He was crazy about tennis, football and cricket. He also learned wrestling at a young age. His charming personality and strong physique soon gave him a distinct identity. During his school days, he participated in many plays, which marked his first entry on stage.
Vinod Khanna was given his first break in the film industry by Sunil Dutt. Sunil Dutt gave him the role of villain in his film ‘Mann Ka Meet’. In this film, Leena Chandavarkar was the heroine and Vinod Khanna became the villain against Som Dutt. He started off as a villain, but his hard work and acting quickly made him popular.
His film journey was very diverse. He acted brilliantly in emotion-oriented films like ‘Meera’, ‘Imtihaan’, ‘Inkaar’ and ‘Lekin’. At the same time, he was very involved in action and violence films like ‘Kachche Dhaage’, ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, ‘Khoon Pasina’, ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’ and ‘Aakhri Daku’.
In 1971, he was chosen as the hero in Gulzar’s film ‘Mere Apne’. His serious acting started from here. Gulzar also gave her important roles in films like ‘Meera’ and ‘Imtihaan’. His role in ‘Lekin’ is still remembered. Even during the time of Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna had a different identity. Whenever both came together, the competition was equal. In 1974, he received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film ‘Hath Ki Safai’.
However, in 1978, despite being at the peak of his career, Vinod Khanna started feeling empty inside. He turned towards spirituality and stayed away from the film industry for many years. After this, he made a strong comeback in the year 1985. He made his place again with films like Mukul Anand’s ‘Milli Insaaf’ and Raj Sippy’s ‘Satyamev Jayate’. He played the role of a don in Firoz Khan’s film ‘Dayavan’, which was liked by the audience very much.
Vinod Khanna played all types of roles in his career and accepted every challenge. In 1999, he was honored with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. He also played the role of Salman Khan’s father in films like ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’, which the audience remembers.
His two sons Akshaye Khanna and Rahul Khanna are also actors. Akshaye Khanna was launched by Vinod Khanna with his film ‘Himalaya Putra’. Vinod Khanna died on 27 April 2017 due to serious illness.
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MT/AS
