|
AKSHAY
PLANS TO BE A 'GHAR KA JAMAI'!
|
 Contrary
to talk of his being a philanderer solely on the
lookout for a good time, Twinkle Khanna's hubby,
Akshay Kumar, is proving his credentials as a
devoted spouse. All those who had given very little
time for the Akshay-Twinkle wedding to last, look
set to eat their words. The marriage is already into
the sixth month, but the couple's honeymoon still
seems to be on. In fact, when Akshay goes out for
shoots or shows, he takes Twinkle along if she is
not doing anything. Not only that, he is very caring
and considerate towards his in-laws, whom he treats
as his own parents. And today, when father-in-law
Rajesh Khanna is down on his luck, Akshay is
determined to be a pillar of strength.
It is a well-known fact that Rajesh is facing
problems with the Income-Tax Department over his
house, 'Ashirwad', due to alleged non-payment of
taxes. The case has been on for more than 18 years,
and last December a local court in Mumbai had even
acquitted him on the grounds that the prosecution
had failed to make out a case against him. But the
I-T Department has now decided to challenge the
decision in a higher court.
A grand, imposing structure on Carter Road,
Bandra, 'Ashirwad' was a major tourist attraction in
the superstar's
heyday as is Amitabh Bachchan's 'Prateeksha' today.
Inside the home, champagne flowed by the casket
every night, with grand parties being the order of
the day. However, with the cruel passage of time, 'Ashirwad'
now stands neglected, with weeds, creepers and dust
piling up in the once grand and opulent bungalow.
Rajesh Khanna, it may be recalled, spends most of
his time in Delhi while his estranged wife Dimple
Kapadia lives in her own bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai.
But Rajesh Khanna need not worry too much
about his mansion, as jamai Akshay has decided to
buy 'Ashirwad' from his father-in-law and move in
there bag, baggage and wife to restore its splendor.
Akshay's logic is that since the couple is on the
lookout for a house to move into, why not see his
father-in-law through the bad times in the bargain?
Interestingly, the previous occupant of the bungalow
also tasted super success while living there. The
late Rajendra Kumar was the first to stay in 'Aashirwad',
and his tenure there was marked by jubilee after
jubilee, so much so that he came to be known as
'Jubilee Kumar'. After he moved out, Rajesh Khanna
set up home and hearth there. So is Akshay hoping
that the good luck will rub off on him now?
 Whatever
be the reason, Akshay's decision to buy Ashirwad
will certainly help clear some of Rajesh's debts.
Apart from tax evasion cases against his name,
Khanna also has an unreleased home production, 'Jai
Shiv Shanker', lying in the cans for more than a
decade for lack of buyers. Sometime back, when the
realization dawned on him that television is no
longer playing second fiddle to the big screen, what
with Bollywood heavyweights playing an active role
on the small screen. Rajesh decided to set up his
own software company. His plan was to turn 'Jai Shiv
Shanker' into a television series. But unfortunately
for him things did not work out, and the film
continues to lie in the cans. Perhaps, he should
have taken expert advice from Romesh Sharma and
Danny Denzongpa, who converted their bilingual film
'Bandhu' into 'Ajnabi', which has had such a
successful run on Doordarshan and is now being shown
on a private channel.
|
