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Yesteryear Bollywood star Jeetendra turns 82 today. In a career spanning almost four decades, Jeetendra has worked in many hit films including 'Tohfa', 'Himmatwala', 'Caravan', 'Parichay', 'Mawali'.
Because of his unique dancing style people used to call him Jumping Jack. Jeetendra gave about 121 hit films, but despite this he never received the Best Actor Award.
Jeetendra, who once worked in 60 films in 8 years, left acting about 23 years ago. In 2001, he was seen in the film 'Kuch To Hai'.
After this, he has appeared in some TV serials and web series only for a few minutes. In an interview, Jeetendra had even said that he did not even remember that he was ever an actor.
Well, apart from acting, Jeetendra also earned a lot from the production house, but while producing films, Jeetendra also went bankrupt twice. Even then Jeetendra did not give up and today his wealth is Rs 1512 crore.
On the occasion of his birthday, let us know some interesting stories from Jeetendra's life…
Rajesh Khanna was Jeetendra's classmate
Jeetendra was born on 7 April 1942 in Amritsar (Punjab). His real name is Ravi Kapoor. Jeetendra's father Amarnath worked in the film industry supplying fake jewellery, so the entire family came and settled in Mumbai from Amritsar.
Jeetendra's early education was at St. Sebastian's Goan High School, Mumbai. Rajesh Khanna also studied with him in the same school and both were very good friends. Jeetendra completed his further studies from Siddharth College, Mumbai.
Jeetendra's family was very poor, living in Shyam Sadam Chawl, Goregaon.
Become a body double while supplying jewelery
When Jeetendra grew up, he started helping his father in his business. In this connection, one day he met filmmaker V Shantaram. Then Jeetendra often used to visit Shantaram's film company in connection with jewelery supply.
During this time, the desire to become a hero arose in his mind. He expressed his desire to see the shooting of a film with V Shantaram.
Shantaram said-Just watching the shooting will not suffice. will you work? Jeetendra immediately agreed. During the shooting of the film 'Navrang', Jeetendra used to get small jobs.
But a day came when Jeetendra's luck shined. He himself narrated this story during 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. When Kapil Sharma asked him whether you had become the body double of the heroine during the days of struggle?
On this Jeetendra had said, Yes, I was a junior artist during the shooting of the film 'Sehra'. I had to obey Shantaram ji, I was ready to do anything at that time. So one day during the shooting in Bikaner, no body double of heroine Sandhya ji was found. Shantaram ji made me Sandhya ji's body double and this is how I entered films.
Jeetendra and Rajshri in the film 'Geet Gaya Patharon Ne'.
The fee for the first film was Rs 100.
Initially Jeetendra got work but did not get any fees for six months. V. Shantaram had promised him that as a junior artist, he would get Rs 105 per month. Will be given but it did not happen. Then when V. Shantaram gave a break to Jeetendra in the film 'Geet Gaya Patharon Ne' in 1964 and then he paid Rs 100 to Jeetendra as the fee for his first film. meet.
Jeetendra got a break from 'Geet Gaya Patharon Ne', but the film was a flop. In such a situation, Jeetendra again had to survive by doing small roles. However, he still had the desire to become a solo leading star.
'Farz', released in 1967, proved to be the first hit film of Jeetendra's career, but it was not easy for him to establish himself in the film industry as a lead star.
The director put a condition before Jeetendra before making him the solo lead hero.
Once filmmaker Subodh Mukherjee told Jeetendra that he wanted to make a solo hero film with him. Jeetendra became happy, but then Subodh put a condition. He said- I will make the film only when Hema Malini will work in this film.
Actually, during that period, Hema Malini's stardom was no less than that of a male superstar. Whatever film Hema was in, there was 100% guarantee of its success. Jeetendra also realized that if Hema became his heroine, his boat would also sail through and he too would be established as a hero.
But it was not that easy. At that time, Hema's career decisions were taken by her mother Jaya Chakraborty. When Jeetendra told him about the film, he refused. Jeetendra went after her and said – If your daughter does a film with me, my career will be made. Finally Jaya agreed. Jeetendra told this to Subodh Mukherjee and he immediately signed Hema in the film.
By signing Hema, the director threw Jeetendra out of the film.
Further twist in the matter came when Subodh Mukherjee signed Shashi Kapoor as the hero instead of Jeetendra in the film.
Knowing this, the ground slipped from under the feet of Jeetendra, when he asked Subodh about this, he said, 'The producer and financier of the film have said that when the heroine is Hema Malini, then cast the hero also in a big way, why not cast Jeetendra? Need. That's why I announced the film with Shashi Kapoor.
When Jeetendra told Subodh that Hema has come into the film because of me, he bluntly said that we are here to do business.
Jeetendra was disappointed by this but during this time LV Prasad offered him the film 'Jeene Ki Raah'. This film became a superhit and Jeetendra shone while Hema and Shashi Kapoor starrer film 'Achinetri' proved to be a flop at the box office.
Jeetendra has done films like 'Gehri Chaal', 'Jyoti', 'Samrat', 'Khushboo', 'Kinara' and 'Mujrim' with Hema Malini.
Hema's mother wanted to get her daughter married to Jeetendra.
When Jeetendra became a big star, Hema's mother Jaya Chakraborty found him perfect for her daughter. Jaya wanted Hema to marry him. Actually, at that time Hema was having an affair with Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar had also proposed marriage to Hema in front of her family. Hema's mother neither liked Sanjeev Kumar nor Dharmendra.
She did not want Hema to marry either of these two stars whereas she liked Jeetendra for her daughter. Jaya Chakraborty had fixed the marriage of daughter Hema with Jeetendra and both were going to take seven rounds in Chennai. Then Dharmendra reached the wedding hall with Jeetendra's girlfriend Shobha and broke his marriage with Hema. A few years later, Jeetendra had a love marriage with his girlfriend Shobha in 1974.
Jeetendra with wife Shobha, daughter Ekta and son Tushar.
Jeetendra wanted to work with Sridevi in every film
In 1983, Jeetendra worked with Sridevi for the first time in the film 'Himmatwala'. The pairing of both was liked a lot. This is the reason why there came a time when Jeetendra wanted to work only with Sridevi in every film.
Shakti Kapoor had said in an interview, 'Jeetendra liked Sridevi's work in 'Himmatwala' so much that he asked director Raghavendra to sign only Sridevi as the heroine opposite him in all his films.
This was the reason that after 'Himmatwala', Raghavendra Rao did 'Jaani Dost' (1983), 'Justice Choudhary' (1983), 'Tohfa' (1984), 'Suhagan' (1986), 'Dharmadhikari' (1986) and When he made the films 'Dil Lagake Dekho' (1988), he cast Sridevi in it.
Jeetendra with Sridevi in the film 'Himmatwala'.
Rekha advised Jeetendra to work with Sridevi
In an interview, Jeetendra had talked about working with Sridevi in the film 'Himmatwala'. He had said, 'Rekha advised me to work with Sridevi. One day Rekha and I were watching a Telugu film starring Sridevi.
Rekha told me, 'You must work with Sridevi. At that time Rekha did not have dates for 'Himmatwala'. She had refused to work in the film. In such a situation, I suggested Raghavendra Rao to cast Sridevi and he agreed. This is how Sridevi entered 'Himmatwala'.
Sridevi had no competition in dance. When the dance master used to teach us the steps during the shooting of 'Himmatwala', Sridevi used to learn the steps in only two rehearsals and I used to practice many times but she also used to rehearse with me till I perfected my dance steps. I can't do it properly.
Jeetendra has worked in the remakes of 80 South films, which is a record.
Worked in 60 films in 8 years
Around 1975, when Jeetendra stopped getting films as a hero, his financial condition became very bad. After this, Jeetendra went bankrupt for the second time when he thought of producing a film.
In 1982, he made the film 'Deedar-e-Yaar' which proved to be a flop. Jeetendra suffered a lot due to this. To overcome the poor financial condition, Jeetendra worked in 60 films in 8 years.
After doing so many films, people even started calling Jeetendra an insecure actor, but Jeetendra does not find anything wrong in it.
He said in an interview, 'I did 60 films continuously in 8 years because it is true that I was very insecure in the 1980s. I am a person raised from a chawl in Goregaon. I have seen the time when a fan was installed in my house, people from the entire chawl came to see it. I have seen bad times closely, that's why I used to work like crazy.
'I am jobless'
Jeetendra has been away from films for 23 years, but despite this he is the owner of property worth Rs 1512 crore. According to media reports, his annual income through his production houses Balaji Telefilms, Alt Balaji and Balaji Motion Picture is Rs 300 crore. Till then.
Jeetendra had said in an interview a few years ago, 'It's been more than 20 years, I have been a jobless actor. I have not earned a single rupee of my own. Shobha (wife) and Ekta (daughter) handle all the work. My contribution is only that I have invested the money that they have earned in the right place and all those investments have proved beneficial for me.
Haven't touched alcohol or cigarettes for 22 years
Jeetendra had said in an interview that earlier he used to smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink alcohol, but he had given up all this 22 years ago. Jeetendra had said-During my younger days, I had done all I could to mess with my health. But when I turned 60, I left all this. People compliment me on being fit even at this age, so I advise them to leave all this. Nowadays, I like the fitness of Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan very much.
