Rajesh Khanna was the biggest superstar of Hindi cinema in the 70s. Female fans were ready to do anything to get a glimpse of him. His popularity was so tremendous that it seemed impossible for anyone to compete with him.

The actor with whom Rajesh Khanna himself became insecure
But during that period, there was one actor with whom Rajesh Khanna himself started feeling insecure. Rajesh Khanna himself had admitted in an interview that the actor could replace him. We are talking about Vijay Arora who played many historical roles first in Hindi films and later on TV. The actor’s death anniversary is on 2 February.

Journey from FTII to Mumbai
Vijay Arora was one of those actors who worked with almost every big and beautiful heroine in the 70s. He completed his studies from the Film and Television Institute of India in 1971 and came to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. Because of his fair complexion and tall height, it was not very difficult for him to get work in films. In the year 1972, he worked with Reena Roy in the film ‘Zaroorat’ and with Asha Parekh in ‘Rakhi Aur Hathkari’.

Got real identity from ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’
His first film may have been average but after this came ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’. This film broke all the records of success. The song ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko’ from the film became a superhit and is still on people’s lips. Because of his chocolatey looks, Vijay Arora became a star overnight and started signing films one after the other. His popularity increased so much that he started being compared to Rajesh Khanna because their physique and looks were very similar.

The journey from Rajesh Khanna to TV
Gradually people started calling him the second Rajesh Khanna. Rajesh Khanna himself had also admitted that if anyone can take his place then it is Vijay Arora. Both of them worked together in hit films like ‘Nishan’, ‘Roti’ and ‘Sautan’. In his career, Vijay Arora worked in more than 100 films and also appeared in many TV serials. He played the role of Meghnath in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayana’. Which people liked very much. Although he did a lot of work in Hindi cinema, he could not earn a name accordingly. At the peak of his career, he became a victim of the politics of the film industry and he himself admitted this.