Rajesh Khanna’s condition worsened during shooting, he was troubled by continuous work.

New Delhi.Many actors in Bollywood work hard to bring their characters alive, but what happened during Rajesh Khanna’s first film ‘Aakhri Khat’ is still a topic of discussion in the film circles. Rajesh Khanna stepped on the big screen with this film released in 1966. The film was directed by Chetan Anand, known for his realistic and sensitive cinema.

Not allowed to sleep to show real fatigue in character

Rajesh Khanna’s character in the film goes through mental stress and emotional struggle. The director wanted that the fatigue on his face should not appear artificial, but should appear real. It is said that Chetan Anand used to wake up Rajesh Khanna by calling at midnight, due to which he could not get complete sleep. This sequence continued for several days and when the actor reached the set after about three days, genuine fatigue and restlessness were clearly visible on his face. This technique of the director proved to be effective for the scene in the film where the character had to be shown in a very distressed and broken mood.

‘Last letter’ had reached Oscar

‘Aakhri Khat’ was not only Rajesh Khanna’s first film, but also proved to be an important achievement for Indian cinema. This film was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards (Oscars). This film, known in English as ‘The Last Letter’, also received international appreciation.

A child’s story won hearts

Master Bunty Behal was also seen in the film along with Rajesh Khanna. The story revolves around a young man named Govind and his wife Lajjo. Due to circumstances, both get separated and a small child gets lost in the crowd of Mumbai, after which the father wanders in search of his son and the story takes an emotional turn. The biggest challenge of the film was shooting on real locations with a small child.

There was a difficult shooting with a 15 month old child.Director Chetan Anand’s son Ketan Anand had told in an interview that his father had shot the film with a 15-month-old child. Capturing a child walking naturally on the streets of Mumbai on camera was a very difficult task at that time. This is the reason why ‘Aakhri Khat’ is counted among the classic films of Indian cinema and it also became the beginning of Rajesh Khanna’s brilliant film journey.