Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Rajesh Khanna Abused Me, Was Arrogant: Co-star on Downfall
An actor named Tej Sapru told a story from many years ago on a podcast.
He was working on a movie in a cold, snowy place called Kashmir with a very famous star named Rajesh Khanna.
One day, out of nowhere, Rajesh said mean words to Tej from behind.
Tej was very sad because he loved and respected Rajesh a lot — Rajesh's very first movie was with Tej's father.
The next day, Rajesh said sorry and took Tej to his hotel, where they ate and drank together all night.
They became close friends after that.
Tej said Rajesh could act proud sometimes, but he was also one of the kindest people he ever met.
Tej thinks Rajesh's pride may be why his career slowed down earlier than other stars.
But Tej says no other actor was ever loved by fans as much as Rajesh.
Rajesh himself said he was not arrogant, because the public would not have made him a superstar if he were.
Veteran actor Tej Sapru revealed on The Rediff Podcast that Rajesh Khanna once unexpectedly abused him from behind on a film set in Kashmir.
Sapru, whose father D.K. Sapru starred in Khanna's first film, said the outburst left him deeply hurt despite his immense respect for the superstar.
Khanna apologised the next day with 'Hey, tall boy… forget it,' and the two spent the night eating and drinking together at his hotel.
Sapru described Khanna as arrogant at the peak of his stardom yet 'incredibly generous,' and believes that arrogance hastened his downfall compared with contemporaries Dharmendra and Jeetendra.
Khanna, who notched 15 consecutive solo blockbusters between 1969 and 1972 before a late-1970s decline, denied arrogance on Aap Ki Adalat in 1994; a 1973 BBC documentary likened him to Napoleon.
- Who
- Veteran actor Tej Sapru and Hindi cinema superstar Rajesh Khanna.
- What
- Sapru recounted how Khanna once abused him on a film set, later apologised, and shared his view that Khanna's arrogance contributed to his career downfall.
- When
- Exact date of the incident unspecified; the account references 1973 (Bombay Superstar documentary), 1994 (Aap Ki Adalat appearance), and the late-1970s decline of Khanna's career.
- Where
- A film set in Kashmir, and later Khanna's office in Khar.
- Why
- Sapru shared the story to illustrate Khanna's contradictory personality — arrogant at his peak yet 'incredibly generous' — and his belief that arrogance hastened Khanna's decline.
Colleagues and Journalists
Rajesh Khanna's Defense
Was Rajesh Khanna arrogant?
Colleagues and Journalists
Tej Sapru said Khanna had arrogance at the peak of his career, and BBC journalist Jack Pizzey described him as having 'the arrogance of Napoleon' in the 1973 documentary Bombay Superstar.
Rajesh Khanna's Defense
Rajesh Khanna rejected the perception on Aap Ki Adalat in 1994, saying the audience 'who lifted me from an actor to a star and then to a superstar' would never have done so had he been arrogant.
Did arrogance cause Khanna's downfall?
Colleagues and Journalists
Sapru believes Khanna's downfall came earlier because of his arrogance, especially compared with contemporaries Dharmendra and Jeetendra.
Rajesh Khanna's Defense
Khanna suggested fame itself is fleeting — 'Respect, fame, affection and desire don't last in this world. Where I stand today, someone else stood yesterday' — rather than pointing to personal arrogance as the cause.
- Subject
- Tej Sapru recalls being abused by Rajesh Khanna on a film set in Kashmir
- Source
- The Rediff Podcast
- Tej Sapru's career
- More than four decades and over 300 films
- Family connection
- Rajesh Khanna's first film starred Sapru's father, D.K. Sapru
- Career record
- 15 consecutive solo blockbusters between 1969 and 1972, followed by a rapid decline from the late 1970s
- 1973 documentary
- Bombay Superstar: BBC journalist Jack Pizzey described Khanna as having 'the arrogance of Napoleon'
- Khanna's denial
- Aap Ki Adalat (1994): 'Had I been arrogant, our audience... would have never made me any of these'
- Aftermath
- Khanna apologised; Sapru later visited him regularly at his Khar office, bringing Red Label whisky
