Memorable cinematic journey of Vinod Khanna

Mumbai (Maharashtra)[India], April 27 : Vinod Khanna was a versatile actor who could mould his persona into any character whether being a villain or charming everyone with his heroic persona in the films. It was just hard to take our eyes off when he was on screen.

It's hard to describe his contribution to Indian cinema in words.

Bollywood lost its strongest pillar in the form of late actor Vinod Khanna on April 27, 2017. He had delivered some of the most iconic performances, making him one of the best performers the industry has ever seen.

From a dacoit to a policeman, from a lover to an angry father, Vinod never failed to impress with his acting range.

The late actor made his acting debut in 1968 with a Sunil Dutt movie named 'Man Ka Meet'. Even after starting his career as a villain, no one was ready to accept that those pure eyes and dapper looks do not belong to a hero. Soon Vinod Khanna charmed out multiple top actors in the industry by performing brilliantly as a lead actor and gaining a crazy fan following.

But whether he performed as a protagonist or not, he ultimately left an impression on his audience.

While his roles in 'Mastana' and 'Sachaa Jhuthaa' in 1970 were well-received, It was his appearance in several movies in 1971 that marked a turning point. In the critically acclaimed 'Mere Apne', as Shyamu, he stood against Shatrughan Sinha in the movie as friends turned in foes and displayed the vulnerability of the angry young man.

Playing a police inspector in Shammi Kapoor's 'Jaane-Anjane', the vicious dacoit Jabbar Singh in 'Mera Gaon, Mera Desh' opposite Dharmendra, and a pivotal role in Sunil Dutt's 'Reshma Aur Shera' in 1971. In 'Hum Tum aur Who', Vinod Khanna played the hero for the first time.

Known for his cameo in Jeetendra's 'Parichay', but for his performance as a military officer on death row for murdering his wife and her lover in movie 'Achanak', one of the Bollywood adaptations of Nanavati case, which actually made him famous.

After that, there was no turning back for him as a hero. He had previously been cast in tough roles like of a cop or a criminal, but he showed he was capable of playing soft characters. One such example can be 'Imtihaan' in 1974, where he played an idealistic college lecturer attempting to teach an undisciplined class. One song that we can relate to from his movie is 'Ruk Jaana Nahi.'

Vinod Khanna established himself as Hindi cinema's first 'angry young man' before legend Amitabh Bachchan.

This equation directly led to a friendly rivalry between the duo.

He has worked in many movies with Big B, which were a favourite topic of discussion among Cinephiles and was a treat to watch for the audience.

Even though the lovely duo can't be seen again together, we can still return to following movies to pay our heartfelt tribute to Khanna's contribution to Indian Cinema and adorable friendship with Bachchan.

'Amar Akbar Anthony': The movie 'Amar Akbar Anthony' is a classic Bollywood melodramatic movie which serves entertainment in every sense possible. Khanna and Bachchan featured as brothers who separated in their childhood and reunited decades later after destiny bring them under the same roof. Bachchan played the role of Anthony Gonsalves and Khanna was seen as Amar the eldest brother in the movie. The film also featured late actor Rishi Kapoor as the third brother from the iconic trio.

The audience made 'Parvarish' a major commercial which proves the fact that people loved to watch Vinod Khanna and Bachchan play brothers on screen. The social drama also featured gems of Bollywood like Shammi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Kader Khan and Shabana Azami among others.

'Muqaddar Ka Sikander'

Who can ever forget the musical tracks from this movie? The story of Rags to Riches about an orphan gained massive box-office validation by becoming the third highest grosser of an entire decade, Amitabh played the role of Sikander who was an orphan and made his way through the struggles of life. Khanna's performance too got critical admiration.

When talking about the duo movies, how we can forget about 'Hera Pheri', a fun movie that gained a Filmfare Award nomination for Vinod Khanna. The movie features one of the best performances by both of the actors. The film plot was about two artists applying several tactics in their life to make their way which creates a lot of chaos and entertainment for the audience.

'Reshma Aur Shera'

The movie directed and produced by Sunil Dutt attracted tons of awards including a National Award and a nomination for Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Big B and former actor Khanna can be seen in power-packed roles in the film. The songs of the movie were also a massive hit at the time.

Today is the late actor's death anniversary and it has been 6 years since Khanna left us leaving with a vacuum which can never be filled again.