M A I N   N E W S

Tearful farewell to Rajesh Khanna
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 19
Thousands of fans and personalities from the film industry today came together to bid farewell to India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna, who passed away yesterday.

Actor Akshay Kumar and his son at the funeral procession of superstar Rajesh Khanna in Mumbai on Thursday. — PTI

The mortal remains of Khanna encased in a glass coffin were loaded onto an open truck which made its way to the Vile Parle crematorium from Aashirwad, the actor's bungalow in suburban Bandra. Despite steady downpour fans, including a large number of women holding posters and photographs of a younger Khanna dating back to the 1970s, jostled to have a final glimpse of their hero.

As the funeral procession made its way through the crowded streets, a mild breeze threatened to blow away the plastic sheets hung above the actor's coffin before his wife Dimple Kapadia and son-in-law Akshay Kumar helped hold them down. On the cortege, a sombre Kapadia held her daughter Rinkie for a while before regaining her composure.

Twinkle, Khanna's elder daughter who is pregnant with her second child, did not attend the funeral. Sameer Saran, Khanna's other son-in-law, along with Akshay Kumar oversaw the funeral arrangements.

However, all eyes were on Khanna's grandson and Akshay's son Aarnav who accompanied the funeral procession atop the truck.

Police personnel and private security guards hired by the family had a tough time keeping away fans who surged towards the vehicle hoping to touch the coffin. Many of them grabbed the huge photographs of the star which were hung on all sides of the flower-bedecked truck. At one stage, the cortege came to a halt and police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to push aside the fans. In the melee, many of them, including several young women, nearly fell to the ground.

Private security personnel had to make way for celebrity mourners, including Khanna's colleague and contemporary Amitabh Bachchan, who attended funeral along with his son Abhishek. Also present at the crematorium were Manoj Kumar, Rani Mukherjee and Karan Johar.

Rajesh Khanna's fans and the vast media contingent were not allowed into the crematorium though several of the Bollywood fraternity, who were present, tweeted about the proceedings afterwards. “Rajesh Khanna’s funeral was simple, solemn and dignified cremation. Farewell to another legend of our generation. RIP,” tweeted actor Kabir Bedi.

According to those present at the funeral, Khanna's pyre was lit by his nine-year-old grandson Aarav with help from his father Akshay Kumar. Witnesses spoke of the emotional moments when the little boy couldn't comprehend what was happening to his grandfather. However, he was quickly pacified by relatives.

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan, who keeps a daily blog, revealed that Khanna remained an actor till the very end. "As I sat at his home this afternoon to pay my respects soon after learning of his passing away, a close functionary of his, came and told me in a choked voice what his last words were - “time ho gaya hai ! Pack Up !," Big B revealed in his blog.