Asha Parekh recalls Rajesh Khanna being shy and reserved while shooting ‘Aaja Piya Tohe Pyaar Doon’

On Indian Idol, veteran actress Asha Parekh recalled Rajesh Khanna as shy and introverted during early films, later becoming close friends while shooting Kati Patang and Aaj Milo Sajna. She cherished sharing joys and sorrows, praising their timeless song 'Aaja Piya Tohe Pyaar Doon'

Mumbai: The episode of music reality show Indian Idol will see veteran actress Asha Parekh sharing her fond memories of working with the late superstar Rajesh Khanna, calling him an introvert.

Following contestant Myscee Basu’s mesmerizing performance on the timeless classic ‘Aaja Piya Tohe Pyaar Doon’ Asha Parekh reminisced about the song and revealed an endearing anecdote from the early days of Rajesh Khanna’s career.

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Sharing her memories, Asha Parekh said, “Ye gana jab picturised hua tha tho Rajesh Khana ji ka phela din tha uss picture ke liye vo second picture the tho naam nahi tha unka tho kafi zezhak vizhak the unme basically he was an introvert.” (When this song was picturised, it was Rajesh Khanna Ji’s first day on that film.

It was only his second film, so he wasn’t very well-known at the time and was quite shy and reserved. Basically, he was introvert) “Uske baad jab maine do thee picture aur ke Rajesh Khana ke sath kafi kuch milna julna ho gaya, bate shuru ho gaye.” (After that, when I worked with Rajesh Khanna in a few more films, we got to know each other better and started talking more often.)

“Dost ke ise baat hote jaise ham shoot kar rahe the Kaate Patang ke 7 to 2 and 2 to 10 Aj Milo Sajna.” (We became friends and would often chat while working together. At one point, we were shooting Kaate Patang from 7 PM to 2 PM and then Aj Milo Sajna from 2 p.m. to 10 PM) “Ab yaha se vaha bhago, yaha se vaha bhago tho thak bhi jate the q ke continuously ye kar rahe the.” (We were constantly running from one set to another and would get exhausted because we were doing this continuously) “Tho ek din aa ke kaha Asha ji ap kyu jaldi ate hain, bole ke ap aram se aye mai 4 baje se phele nahi aunga.” (One day, he came to me and said, ‘Asha Ji, why do you come so early? Please come comfortably, I won’t arrive before 4 o’clock.’) “Acha hua apne bata di, mai ek ghanta aram kar ke set pe poch jaungi.” (I told him it was good that he informed me because I could get an extra hour of rest before reaching the set.)

“Acha lagta tha, vo kabhi apna dhun sukh voh share karte the. Mai apne dhuk sukh ke baat unse karte the. Is tarha dosti hamare rahe.” (I enjoyed talking to him. Sometimes he would share his joys and sorrows with me, and I would share mine with him. That’s how our friendship grew and lasted).

Talking about the “Aaja Piya Tohe Pyaar Doon” is one of the most iconic romantic songs from the 1967 Hindi film ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’. The movie was directed and produced by Nasir Hussain and the soulful track was sung by Lata Mangeshkar, composed by RD Burman, and penned by lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Picturised on Asha Parekh opposite Rajesh Khanna, the song even after 59 years of its release, remains a timeless classic celebrated. The film was released on June 23, 1967, and featured Asha Parekh, Rajesh Khanna and Premnath in pivotal roles.