Goodbye Vinod Khanna!

Veteran actor Vinod Khanna was one of the most good looking and stylish stars in 70's Bollywood. He is no more but we will always have his films to cherish and remember him as an actor

There are times when you want to write so much and words fail you. Today is one such day. The feeling that Vinod Khanna is no more will take some time to sink in. I was a Vinod Khanna worshipper. I will always remain one.

My first memory of a full blown Vinod Khanna movie, in fact, is the one in which he played that lost young man called Shyam in 'Mere Apne'.I was too young to understand the mature plot of that Gulzar gem but in that one song "koi hota jisko apna" I could connect with Shyam and his bitter loneliness behind his tough exterior.

That was the impact of Vinod Khanna. I doubt if before or after him Bollywood will be able to find another superstar who is half as good looking and a quarter of an actor of Vinod Khanna's caliber.

'Mere Apne' made me remember Vinod Khanna and then came my second exposure to the phenomenal brilliance of Vinod Khanna with a movie called 'Inkaar'. If you have not seen 'Inkaar' then trust me you have not seen the best kidnapping thriller of the 70s.

Vinod Khanna as the shrewd nonsensical by the book cop Amar drove the movie on his capable shoulders. That he had a super inform Amjad and a focused director behind the camera helped. Inkaar made me an instant Vinod Khanna fan.

Years later the movie came on TV again, it was election time and in those days a movie would be spread between election news and discussion breaks. I sat through those boring news analysis as a teenager because I did not want to miss a single second of 'Inkaar' if I went out of the room and the break ended. Vinod Khanna could leave you spellbound. He had that unexplained X-factor in him.

I was also probably one of those rare fans who never took sides in the Vinod Khanna VS Bachchan clashes on the screen. I never wanted to. For me, movies like 'Amar Akbar Anthony' and 'Parvarish' were so mesmerising because two of Indian cinema's biggest performers, in trying to outshine each other, delivered such massive entertaining moments that it was difficult for a true lover of cinema to take sides.

Frankly, it was Vinod's spirited challenge to Amitabh that made the 70s so exiting. The clash between the dark Kishen and the upright Amit in 'Parvarish' is a clash which no other screen duo of heroes has been able to achieve.

Years later Subhash Ghai tried to achieve those levels in 'Saudagar' by pitting Raj Kumar against Dilip Kumar but let me tell you with some conviction 'Saudagar' was brilliant but 'Amar Akbar Anthony' and 'Parvarish' were two comets running into each other with full force. For some reasons that are attributed to bad blood between the two actors, post 'Parvarish' the two never acted together again. Trust me that remain the biggest loss of Bollywood.

Vinod Khanna touched his peak with 'Qurbani' and his partnership with Feroz Khan in this remains the high point of the 1980s. Feroz Khan with his confident devil may care style could take away scenes from anyone but 'Qurbani' is remembered by fans till date for Vinod Khanna.

Vinod Khanna was also a complete actor. He became a hero only later in his career. Before that, he was the bad guy (Villain). He was even better as the bad guy. Vinod Khanna was Jabbar Singh in 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh'. Before Gabbar happened, Jabbar was the most dreaded dacoit role of Indian cinema.

In fact, Gabbar had shades of Jabbar. Jabbar did not play by rules. He would lay unfair traps for his enemies and believe in winning at any cost. Sounds like Gabbar isn't it? Salim-Javed were in fact hugely inspired by 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh' when they wrote 'Sholay'. Try watching 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh', despite the movie looks dated, VK's Jabbar act will leave you stone cold.

As much as the news of his death leaves with you a cold sad feeling. Bollywood has lost its shine by so many degrees today.