Rajesh Khanna's last words: 'Time ho gaya hai. Pack up!'

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has, in a heartfelt tribute to Rajesh Khanna, recalled some interesting anecdotes from their film careers and lives. Bachchan recalls, for instance, that the final scene in the film Anand -  where Anand Sehgal, the character played by Rajesh Khanna, dies - gave him much cause for worry. Dr Bhaskar Banerjee, the dour character played by Amitabh, breaks down at Anand’s death bed and pleads with him to speak. (It’s the same footage that’s been on endless loop on television channels all of Wednesday, causing immense anguish to Rajesh Khanna's many fans .) [caption id=“attachment_381968” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  “Just think Rajesh Khanna is dead”: Amitabh recalls the scene from Anand: Image courtesy in.com[/caption] Bachchan recalls on his blog ( which you can read here) that he was unable to “find a method in my own very limited acting experience” to convey the pathos of that moment. He therefore sought advice from actor-director Mehmood, in whose house he was then living. Mehmood’s advice: “Just think Amitabh, R-a-j-e-s-h  K-h-a-n-n-a is dead!! and you will get everything right.” Bachchan reckons that Mehmood wasn’t just giving him a tutorial in acting; he was acknowledging Rajesh Khanna’s giant stature as the megastar of those times. Bachchan also recalls that on Wednesday afternoon, when he went to pay his respects to Khanna soon after learning of his death, a close associate of Khanna’s came up and confided that his last words were,  “Time ho gaya hai! Pack Up!” Read Bachchan’s other endearing recollections of Rajesh Khanna here.