Amritsar, Jul 18: The demise of superstar Rajesh Khanna came as another shock to his native place Amritsar after Dara Singh who was also born in the same city passed away last week.
Khanna (69) died of prolonged illness at his Mumbai residence today.
Born in 1942 as Jatin Khanna at Tiwarina street, now a thickly populated area located in the narrow lanes of the old-walled city of Amritsar, Khanna had spent his early childhood years here.
Muni Chand, the childhood friend and cousin of Khanna, who still lives close to the actor's ancestral house in the old walled city, said that he used to play cricket with him as a kid.
He said Khanna had donated his ancestral house to a temple which is now looked after by a priest. “He came here many times during his visit to Amritsar,” Muni Chand added.
Khanna lived in his ancestral house till the age of seven, he said, adding that he was keen to become a cricketer but destiny turned him into an actor in Bollywood. Muni Chand also said that Khanna was a good natured person and always met his old friends warmly when somebody visited him in Mumbai.
He desired that a memorial should be setup in the memory of Khanna.
