New Delhi:
Rajesh Khanna is called the first superstar of Hindi cinema. People used to live on every act of him. But in the year 1980, when he came out as a serial killer in the film ‘Red Rose’, the fans were shocked. The censor board was also so uncomfortable with this film that it decided to ban it. Red Rose was actually a Hindi remake of the Tamil film Sigapu Rosakkal, with Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. Rajesh Khanna and Poonam Dhillon were in the lead roles in the Hindi version. Interestingly, the writer and director of both films was Bhartiraja. This story is said to be largely inspired by the notorious serial killer Raman Raghav of the 1960s.
Roll was completely reversed with romantic image
This phase of Rajesh Khanna’s career was on some slope. In such a situation, he took the risk of working in a film like Red Rose, which was completely opposite to his romantic image. His character in the film was a rich but mentally ill businessman named Anand, who would implicate girls in the trap of first love and then brutally kill him.
Anand’s life takes a turn when she meets Sharda (Poonam Dhillon). He also tries to impress Sharda with his style, but Sharda refuses to have a relationship before marriage. Both are married, and after marriage, gradually Sharda starts seeing Anand’s real face.
The sensor board was also baffled
The theme of the film was so bold that the censor board took a tough stand on it. The makers had demanded a ‘A certificate’, but the board gave a red flag by calling the film ‘not worth the public’. The Revising Committee also upheld this decision. The producers then reached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directly, from where they finally got approval to release the film.
Another controversy was associated with this film – ‘Red Rose’ i.e. red rose. In the film, Anand always puts a red rose in his coat. Some members of the censor board objected to this, because the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru also used to put red roses in his coat. He felt that the film was misusing this symbol.
The trailer also got ‘A Certificate’
The trailer of the film was also given by the censor board ‘A Certificate’ – this was a unique case in itself. Even after the release, Red Rose did not like the audience very much. His fans became uncomfortable after seeing Rajesh Khanna in this role. Kamal Haasan, the star of Tamil version, also did not suit Hindi remake because his Hindi was weak at that time. Interestingly, this role was first offered to Sanjeev Kumar, but finally it was given to Rajesh Khanna.
Poonam Dhillon was also unhappy with the film. Especially when a bathtub photo of him was used in promotional posters of the film, which he did not take as part of the film.
Overall, Red Rose was one of Rajesh Khanna’s most controversial films. Not only because he played the opposite character with his image, but also because the film came into the discussion after hitting the censor board.