Rajesh Khanna - Early Life

Early Life

Born on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar, Punjab as Jatin Khanna, Khanna was adopted and raised by foster parents – Chunni Lal Khanna and Leela Wati Khanna, who were relatives of his biological parents after his father had migrated from pre-partitioned Pakistan to Gali Tiwarian in the city of Amritsar. His biological parents were Lala Hiranand and Chandrani Khanna and Lala worked as headmaster of the MC High School in Burewala, Pakistan. After his adoption, he was known as "Jatin Khanna". Khanna lived in Saraswati Niwas in Thakurdwar near Girgaon, Mumbai (then called Bombay) and attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School there, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra, and whose mothers were friends. He completed his schooling from Hill Grange High School, on Pedder Road, Mumbai, in 1959. Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of stage and theatre plays in his school and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions. Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties. Khanna did his first two years of Bachelor of Arts at Wadia College in Pune from 1959 to 1961. Both friends later studied in K. C. College, Mumbai. Khanna also tutored Jeetendra for his first film audition. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife called him Kaka.