Nikhil Dwivedi to produce movie based on Gautam Chintamani’s biography of Rajesh Khanna

By Express News Service

On the eve of Rajesh Khanna’s 79th birth anniversary, a biopic has been announced on the late superstar. Producer Nikhil Dwivedi has acquired the rights of Gautam Chintamani’s book, Dark Star: The Loneliness Of Being Rajesh Khanna, which has topped bestseller lists in the past.

Filmmaker Farah Khan is said to direct the film. She will write the script with Gautam Chintamani. A lead actor is yet to be announced for the project.

Born Jatin Khanna, Rajesh Khanna made his debut with Aakhri Khat (1966) under the aegis of Chetan Anand. He saw a meteoric rise in the Hindi film industry, becoming its first superstar and delivering 17 blockbusters in succession at one point. His decades-long career was marked by extreme highs and lows.

He was a Member of Parliament between 1992 and 1996 and passed away after a prolonged illness in 2012. He is survived by his wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna.

Nikhil Dwivedi says, “Yes, I’ve acquired the rights to Gautam Chintamani’s book, Dark Star, and I’m in talks with Farah Khan to make the film. That’s all I can say for now. As and when any major development happens, I’ll be happy to share because I’m really very excited about bringing Rajesh Khanna’s story to the big screen.”

Commenting on the project, Farah Khan says, “Yes I have read Gautam’s book and it’ fascinating. It’s definitely an exciting story. We are in a conversation over this but I cannot comment more.”