This actor was once said to be bigger than even Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra before one choice relegated him to side-hero.
Filmdom can be a fickle industry. The fortunes of the people involved here keep changing with every hit and flop. Actors become stars overnight and fade away after just a few flops. But very few have seen the kinds of highs and lows as this one star from the 70s, who at one point, was bigger than the biggest superstars, only to be relegated to side-hero status in just a few years.
The man who was bigger than Amitabh, Jeetendra, Dharmendra
Vinod Mehra began his journey in cinema as a child artiste in the 50s. His first release was the 1955 film Adl-e-Jehangir, following which he played supporting roles in a handful of other films. In 1965, he ended up as the runner-up of a national talent contest organised by Filmfare and United Producers, losing to Rajesh Khanna. But Mehra soon began his journey as a lead actor with the 1971 hit Ek Thi Reeta. In 1973, he established himself as a lead star with Anuraag and gave several other hits in the next few years. In the early years of his career, Vinod Mehra was considered more promising than his contemporaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, and Vinod Khanna and even more bankable than seniors such as Dharmendra.
Vinod Mehra
How a decision changed Vinod Mehra’s career trajectory
By the late-70s, as Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan sped ahead in the race to stardom, Vinod Mehra made a conscious choice to do bigger films. However, that meant that he had to work in ensemble films and multistarrers, often sharing screen space with established stars. He worked in films like Naagin, Jaani Dushman, Swarg Narak, and Kartavya, all of which worked but he was reduced to being the second lead, or even the third lead in many. By the 80s, Vinod Mehra was no longer even on the posters of films he was starring in very often.
Vinod Mehra’s personal life and untimely death
Vinod Mehra was married thrice. In fact, during his lifetime, it was believed that he was also married briefly to his co-star Rekha but the actress later denied this. Mehra’s first marriage was arranged by his mother to Meena Broce but it was never consummated as per reports. He then eloped with his co-star Bindiya Goswami, who became his second wife a few years later. In 1987, three years after this marriage also ended, he tied the knot with Kiran. The couple had two children.
In the late-80s, Vinod Mehra turned director-producer with the film Gurudev, which starred Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor. However, before he could complete the film, Vinod Mehra passed away suddenly in 1990 at the age of 45 after suffering a heart attack. Director Raj Sippy later completed the film and it got a belated release in 1993. Many of his other unfinished films were also completed and released posthumously.
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 "Vinod Mehra with Rekha in Ghar")
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