When Rajesh Khanna Declined Rs 3.5 Cr Per Episode To Host Bigg Boss: 'Aise Show Thodi Karega...'

The dramatic fall of superstar Rajesh Khanna from his film industry throne is the stuff of legend. Once the king of Bollywood, Kaka, as he was fondly called, saw his reign crumble as audiences flocked to Amitabh Bachchan and action-packed movies, leaving his drama-heavy roles in the dust.

A 2012 Rediff article revealed a memorable moment when journalist Ali Peter John recounted how Khanna scoffed at being offered a spot on Bigg Boss during his career’s lowest point.

Ali Peter John recalled, “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).” Colors was reportedly willing to offer the actor a whopping Rs 3.5 crore for every episode. He added, “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. A few days later, he called me and said he wanted to do the show, but by then Colors had lost interest.”

Rumours of his arrogance only pushed producers further away. His ex-wife, Dimple Kapadia, has openly discussed witnessing his downfall, while others from his era have shared tales of his on-set behaviour. Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna shared a tumultuous relationship, and after nine years of marriage and two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke, they decided to separate. Although they never officially divorced, their separation was highly publicised, especially when Dimple returned to acting in the 1980s and gained success. During this time, Rajesh Khanna’s career was in decline, and by the early 1990s, he chose to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

Recalling his career’s dramatic decline, Rajesh Khanna had revealed when he admitted to turning to heavy drinking. During a particularly tough night, he was quoted as saying, “Later, when I started slipping, I hit the bottle. I mean, I am not a super human being. You are not Jesus Christ and I am not Mahatma Gandhi. I remember that once at three o’clock in the morning I was pretty high on spirits and suddenly it was too much for me to stomach because it was my first taste of failure.”