When Vinod Khanna Shot To Stardom With This 1971 Raj Khosla Directorial

Vinod Khanna was one of the renowned actors of his time. In his acting career spanning many years, he showed his talent in many films including Kuchhe Dhaage and The Burning Train. One of his other hit films remembered by the audience is the 1971 film Mera Gaon Mera Desh, directed by Raj Khosla. Vinod Khanna made his debut with the 1969 film Man Ka Meet, but shot to stardom with the film Mera Gaon Mera Desh. He played the antagonist Jabbar Singh in this film, headlined by Dharmendra and Asha Parekh. Despite the villain’s character, the audience loved Vinod Khanna’s acting prowess. Mera Gaon Mera Desh, produced by Khosla Enterprises, was a commercial success at the box office. This film starred Laxmi Chhaya, Jayant, Asit Kumar Sen and others in important roles. Mera Gaon Mera Desh’s music was also well-received by the audience. The film’s soundtrack, especially the song Maar Diya Jaaye Ke Chhod Diya Jaaye, became a big-time hit. Lata Mangeshkar rendered her vocals to the song, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and penned by Anand Bakshi.

After this film, there was no turning back for Vinod Khanna, who continued to entertain the audience with his blockbuster films.

In 1977, he again impressed the audience with the film Parvarish alongside the stalwarts Shammi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. This film proved to be a milestone in the Mera Gaon Mera Desh actor’s career. According to the reports, it was Rajesh Khanna who was about to play Kishan’s role in Parvarish, but later Vinod Khanna played that role. Parvarish starred Neetu Singh, Shabana Azmi, Kader Khan, Amjad Khan and others in important roles.

Besides Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Parvarish, Vinod Khanna is also remembered for his acting skills in the film Chandni. He played the second male lead Lalit Khanna in this film directed by Yash Chopra.

Vinod Khanna was reportedly never afraid of playing supporting and character roles in the films. He played Lalit Khanna’s character with absolute finesse and gave stiff competition to Rishi Kapoor in terms of acting.