1. Before he became popular for the cop roles, Khanna, who is known for his distinct style and persona, made quite an impression as a scowling dacoit in many flicks.
The ‘villain-turned-hero,’ who debuted in Sunil Dutt’s 1968 film Man Ka Meet as a villain, played supporting or low-down characters in the films such as Purab Aur Paschim, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna and Mastana in 1970 and Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Elaan in 1971.
2. For Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Dharmendra revealed, that Khanna literally bled to infuse realism into the role.
3. Khanna finally got the opportunity to expand his repertoire when Gulzar noticed his ability to meld brute force with emotional vulnerability and cast him in leading roles in Mere Apne (1972) and Achanak (1973).
4. In the songless Achanak (1973), he won rave reviews for his performance, wherein he had to kill his adulterous wife.
5. He attempted risky, offbeat roles too. He broke the taboo about lovemaking in Aruna Vikas’ Shaque (1976), while his mature and complex performance as a murder suspect in the movie was lauded.
6. Between 1971-1982, the actor starred in 47 multi-hero films like Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, Hera Pheri, Khoon Pasina, Amar Akbar Anthony, Zameer, Parvarish and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.
7. Reportedly, Khanna had landed the Qurbani role in 1980 after Amitabh Bachchan refused it. The film later became the highest-grossing film of that year.
8. Khanna became the first B’Town hero to retire from the films when he was at his peak. His search for spiritual satisfaction took him to Osho.
He became a disciple of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) in 1975 and in the early 1980s, he shifted to Rajneeshpuram in the US, where he spent his time cleaning dishes and working as Osho’s gardener.
9. After joining the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in 1997, the ‘abhineta-turned-neta’ proved his mettle in politics too. He represented Punjab’s Gurdas Parliamentary seat four times in the Lok Sabha and became the Minister of State for External Affairs in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.