Vinod Khanna

Vinod was spotted by Sunil Dutt after graduation, and made his acting debut in Sunil Dutt's 1968 film Man Ka Meet (directed by Adurthi Subba Rao) as a villain and in which Som Dutt was the hero, a remake of the Tamil film Kumari Penn.[19] At the start of his career, he played supporting or villainous characters in films such as Purab Aur Paschim, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna[20] and Mastana in 1970, and in Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Mere Apne and Elaan in 1971.[19]

From playing villain Khanna successfully switched over to playing the popular hero.[21][22] He got his first break as the solo lead in Hum Tum Aur Woh (1971) opposite Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and followed it up with[23] Gulzar's[24] Mere Apne. In 1973 his performance as an army officer facing death row in Gulzar's Achanak, earned him critical acclaim.[23] In 1974 he played a college professor in Imtihan, which proved successful even in the face of stiff competition from Roti Kapda Aur Makan and Majboor.[25] Amar Akbar Anthony and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar in which he costarred Amitabh Bacchan went on to become the highest grossing Indian movies of 1977[26] and 1978 respectively.[27][28][29] Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was the third highest-grossing Hindi movie in the 1970s after Sholay and Bobby.[30] At the peak of his popularity he played a supporting role in the 1978 Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki a heroine-dominated movie with stalwarts[31] Asha Parekh and Nutan.[23]

Some of the successful movies of this era include Hatyara with Moushumi Chatterjee, Qaid with Leena Chandavarkar, Inkaar with Vidya Sinha, Aap Ki Khatir with Rekha, Khoon Ki Pukaar, Shaque and Adha Din Aadhi Raat with Shabana Azmi, and Daulat with Zeenat Aman. In 1980, he starred in Feroz Khan's Qurbani (1980) which became the highest-grossing film of that year.[32] He was, at the time, one of the highest paid actors in Hindi films.[33]

Vinod also starred in 47 multi-hero films.[34] In Shankar Shambhu he co-starred with Feroz Khan and in Chor Sipahee and Ek Aur Ek Gyarah he co-starred with Shashi Kapoor, in Hera Pheri, Khoon Pasina, Amar Akbar Anthony, Zameer, Parvarish and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar Khanna appeared with Amitabh Bacchan; and in Haath Ki Safai and Aakhri Daku he co-starred with Randhir Kapoor. He appeared with Sunil Dutt in Daku Aur Jawan. He acted with Jeetendra in Ek Hasina Do Diwane, Ek Bechara, Parichay, Insaan, Anokhi Ada and Janam Kundli. He did Rakhwala, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Patthar Aur Payal, The Burning Train, Batwara and Farishtay with Dharmendra. He worked with Shatrughan Sinha in films such as Panch Dushman, Bombay 405 Miles, Dost Aur Dushman, Pyaar Ka Rishta, Daulat Ke Dushman and Do Yaar, beginning with Gulzar's directorial debut Mere Apne.[35]

Gulzar worked with him in Achanak, Meera and Lekin, after his first movie Mere Apne.[36]

Khanna became a follower of the spiritual teacher Osho (Rajneesh) and left the film industry in 1982.[37][38]

In 1987, Khanna returned to films with Insaaf in which he costarred with Dimple Kapadia.[39]

Despite being successful in a romantic role in the blockbuster Chandni, he was mostly offered roles in action films.[40][41] He made a popular pair with Meenakshi Seshadri with movies like Jurm, Mahaadev, Police Aur Mujrim, Humshakal and Satyamev Jayate proving successful.

After Qurbani, he worked again with Feroz Khan in Dayavan (1988), a remake of Maniratnam's Nayakan.[42] His Muzaffar Ali-directed Dimple Kapadia-starring Zooni is still unreleased.[43][44]

In the 1990s, Khanna appeared in a string of commercial films including Muqaddar Ka Badshaah, CID, Jurm, Lekin, Humshakal, Aakhri Adaalat, Maha-Sangram, Khoon Ka Karz, Police Aur Mujrim, Kshatriya, Insaaniyat Ke Devta, Ekka Raja Rani and Eena Meena Deeka. Salman Khan played a supporting role in Nishchaiy in which Vinod Khanna played the main lead. Actor Ranjeet directed him in Kaarnama. He co-starred with Raaj Kumar in Suryaa: An Awakening.

In 1997, he launched his son Akshaye Khanna in Himalay Putra in which he also starred alongside him. In 1999, Vinod Khanna received a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the industry for over three decades. Since then, he started playing character roles in films such as Deewaanapan (2002), Red Alert: The War Within, Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010) and Dabangg 2 (2012). In 2007, he starred in the Pakistani film Godfather.

Khanna also ventured into television, playing the male lead role of "Kashinath" in the Smriti Irani-produced Hindi serial mere apne, which aired on the channel 9X in 2009. In 2014, he played the lead role in Koyelaanchal, in which he played the role of a Godfather and leader of the coal mafia.[45] His last film to be released before his death was the 2015 film Dilwale alongside Shah Rukh Khan. The film was directed by Rohit Shetty and released on 18 December 2015 worldwide. He also acted in the film Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi, a biopic based on the life and times of Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior. The film was released on Zee TV. In 2020, a delayed film he had shot and completed in 2014 was released titled Guns of Banaras which officially marks his final film appearance.