New Delhi, Jul 18: The nation today deeply mourned the death of Bollywood's first superstar Rajesh Khanna with President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paying rich tributes, calling him a “legendary” and “versatile” actor.
Condolences poured in from several parts of the country with leaders of various political parties terming Khanna's death as an irreparable loss for the country, especially the film fraternity.
In her condolence message, the President said Khanna was a legendary actor and in his death the country had lost a versatile showman.
The 69-year-old actor breathed his last at his Mumbai residence today. He was ailing for the past few months. Mouring Khanna's death, the Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the actor's family members and his countless fans and admirers.
Expressing deep sorrow and grief at Khanna's demise, Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed her condolences to the bereaved family.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar condoled the death of Khanna hailing him as a legendary actor.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni said Khanna would forever remain the super hero of Indian film industry.
“He was a living force in the film world and has left a long and rich legacy of film tradition. Language was no barrier. His films were seen all over the country,” she said. Plans by the I&B Ministry to hold a retrospective of Rajesh Khanna in the presence of the superstar had failed due to his sudden demise, Soni said.
Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla also expressed grief at Khanna's death.
Khanna's death was an irreparable loss for the Hindi cinema, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said. Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan said “Rajesh Khanna was a heartthrob of three generations. He had scaled unprecedented heights of popularity during his remarkable career.”
“I join millions of his admirers in paying my respects to this great actor and this great human being,” he said. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said Khanna entertained film buffs with his talent and would be remembered for his immense contribution to the film industry. State PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said “an era has ended with Khanna's demise.”
Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said “not only me but my entire generation was crazy about his style, acting and even his kurta.”
“I had seen all his films on the first day of their release. His presence on the screen has made a solid impact on the audience,” he said.
RPI leader Ramdas Athawale said an era has ended with the passing away of Khanna.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said “the film industry has lost a great actor who played important roles in the entertaiment field. He had also established his image as a public representative.”
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described Khanna as a multifaceted personality.
He said the veteran actor was the heartthrob of millions of his fans, adding the void created by his death would be difficult to fill.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said in the death of Khanna, the country had lost a gem.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said Khanna's demise was a great loss for the Indian cinema. Khanna was a fine actor and the void created by his untimely demise would be difficult to fill, he said. Paying tributes to Khanna, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said some of the songs from his movies were still his favourite.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the superstar would be would be long remembered for his style of acting.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh said Khanna was a true Punjabi at heart and in spirit.
In a condolence message, he said for the people of Punjab it was a personal loss as Khanna was the son of the soil.
