"What is it they are showing in these movies? I cannot watch it," she used to tell her close friends.
Reminiscing his family's close association with the Khannas, Ramesh Bhatlekar said, "His mother Leelavati used to give vent to her feelings while talking to my mother, after he rose to become a star. His screen deaths annoyed her."
Khanna had spent a few months at Bhatlekar's home during his two-year-long stint as a college student in the city.
The Bollywood icon became a heartthrob of millions in 1960s and the 70s with his portrayal of a romantic hero and also a tragic one in 'Anand', 'Safar' and 'Baharon Ke Sapne'.
The Khannas and the Bhatlekar family stayed in the same building 'Sarsaswati Nivas' at Thakurdwar in Girgaum in Mumbai.
"My father was a family doctor of Chunnilal Khanna, (Rajesh's father) and we grew together. Later, after passing the matriculation board exam, I moved to Pune, where my father had built a house on Apte Road in Deccan Gymkhana area," the 70-year-old Bhatlekar recalled talking to PTI.
"I took admission in Fergusson college for what was called 'pre-degree' (first year) in science stream. Rajesh's family also decided to send him to Pune for the Arts course. He however, landed late and could not get admission to the same college. Finally, he enrolled in the Wadia College in the city's camp area," he continued. (More)
