This superstar, who brought with him a swagger, a style and tough attitude, was Indian cinema’s first tough guy.
Just a few days ago, Indian cinema saw the loss of a legend who had redefined the tenets of what a Bollywood leading man was all about. Till the coming of this superstar, Bollywood heroes were limited to being poetic, soft and emotional characters who pined incessantly for love. This superstar brought with him a swagger, a style and tough attitude which created Indian cinema’s first tough guy. This man was the one and only Mr. Vinod Khanna.
Vinod Khanna’s filmography, by and large, is underrated. Although he did many masala films for which he is very popular, he also did some interesting works with quality filmmakers like Gulzar, which are still remembered to this day.
In this time of remembrance of this legendary actor, I want to take this opportunity to recognize some of Vinod Khanna’s best works, which I hope you will take some time to see and appreciate his contribution to Indian cinema.
- Lekin (1990)
This is undoubtedly my favorite Vinod Khanna film. Directed by the legendary Gulzar, and produced by India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar, Lekin is a touching ghost story which takes place amongst the sands of Rajasthan. Khanna plays an architect who comes to Rajasthan to oversee work being done on one of his projects when he encounters the ghost of a young woman (played by Dimple Kapadia) who is only seeking the emancipation of her soul and feels Khanna is the means by which she can achieve it. Khanna promises to help her. Will she find the peace she is looking for? What is the backstory of this poor ghost? Watch LEKIN to find out.
Aside from brilliant performances, the film’s music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar is what beautiful soundtracks are made of. This movie is a must watch and is arguably Khanna’s best work.
- Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)/Hera Pheri (1976)/Parvarish (1977)/Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)
This quadrilogy of films are grouped together because they rank as some of Khanna’s most popular and well known films. Amar Akbar Anthony does not even need much of an introduction. Directed by one of India’s most loved filmmakers, Manmohan Desai, this is a tale of 3 brothers separated by fate from each other and their parents and raised under different faiths. Will they reunite? Will they avenge the wrongs that had been put on them? Amar Akbar Anthony resolves these issues in a breezy 3 hour running time filled with humor, action and of course, great music. Khanna plays the stoic Amar, while Amitabh Bachchan (in a career defining role) plays Anthony and Rishi Kapoor plays Akbar. Shabana Azmi, Neetu Singh and Parveen Babi round out the female cast, while Pran, Nirupa Roy and Jeevan play the other important characters. Although Bachchan steals the show as Anthony, Khanna holds his own as Amar, making this a must watch movie for all.
Hera Pheri, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Parvarish, respectively directed by Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai, are duo films with Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan which were super successful. While the first is an action comedy, the latter two are tragedies and family dramas, all packed with entertainment. Particularly in PARVARISH, Khanna’s performance shines as a bitter son who, due to a misunderstanding, sets out to ruin his family. Highly recommended for hardcore Bollywood fans.
- Qurbani (1980)/Dayavan (1988)
Two landmark films in Khanna’s career, both of these films were stylishly directed by actor-director Feroz Khan. Qurbani is the action packed tale of two friends and Dayavan is an action drama. Both are remembered today for their chart busting music and high octane performances, especially those of Khanna. These are films which showcase the actor at his finest and must not be missed.
- Chandni (1989)
A blockbuster romantic film of the late 80s, this Yash Chopra saga put Khanna in the rare role of a romantic. Although Rishi Kapoor and Sridevi were the main leads, the film revealed a softer side to Khanna and showed that the macho man of Bollywood had a heart in him as well. For those looking for a lighter movie from the actor, this one is it.
- Mere Apne (1971)/Achanak (1973)
Two more Gulzar directed ventures, Khanna plays the leading role in both of them, albeit with different shades. Mere Apne tells the story of gang violence in India and how an ailing woman gets caught up in the middle, despite befriending the leaders of both of the gangs. Khanna plays one of the leaders, with Shatrughan Sinha playing the other, and the clash between these two powerhouse actors is one that is still remembered to this day. The song “Koi Hota Jisko Apna” picturized on Khanna is still a haunting melody to this day.
In Achanak, Khanna plays an army major who discovers that his wife had an affair in his absence. He takes a drastic action in the heat of passion. Is he innocent or guilty? Achanak ambiguously put this question before audiences in an interesting manner, and features one of Khanna’s finest but most underrated performances. Before Rustom, there was Achanak, a film that has been forgotten in the history of Indian cinema but which is certainly worth remembering.
This is but a snapshot of Vinod Khanna’s long and varied filmography. He was truly an actor that never got his due, but is immortalized on celluloid for generations to come. May he rest in peace.
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