Did you know Rajesh Khanna was offered the reality show Bigg Boss? And that once he made up his mind to appear on the show, it was the channel that rejected him? Journalist Ali Peter John, a close friend of the late actor, kept in touch with Rajesh till his last days and in a 2012 interview with Rediff recalled what actually went down between him and Bigg Boss makers.  

‘They were willing to pay him ₹3.5 cr for every episode’

Ali said, "Once, the makers of Bigg Boss called me to fix a meeting with him; they wanted him in the Bigg Boss house. But he said, "Nahin, nahin, Rajesh Khanna aise show thodi karega (Rajesh Khanna won't work in such shows)." I tried to convince him, but he said no. The Colors TV (the television company that produces Bigg Boss) people told me they were willing to pay him ₹3.5 crore for every episode he appeared in, but he said no."

He added, "A few days later, he called me and said he wanted to do the show, but by then Colors had lost interest. I met him two-and-a-half months before his death and asked what had happened. He told me, “Agar Ghalib daaru peekar mar sakta hain, toh main kyon nahin? (If the legendary poet Ghalib could die of excessive drinking, why can't I?).”

'Rajesh lived like a king'

In the same old interview, Rajesh Khanna's friend said the veteran actor 'was wise in his investments' and even though he was not working, he had lots of investments. Ali said Rajesh 'lived like a king' as he recalled how he had 'renovated his whole bungalow' to look 'like a palace'. He added that Rakesh and actor-wife Dimple Kapadia's daughters, Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna ‘wanted to convert the house into a Rajesh Khanna museum’.

More about Rajesh Khanna

Considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema, Rajesh was born in December 1942 and died in July 2012. In 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour. He worked in films like Do Raaste, Bandhan (1969), Sachaa Jhutha (1970), Dushmun (1971), Apna Desh (1972), Roti (1974), Aap Ki Kasam (1974), and Prem Kahani (1975), among many others.

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