Vinod Khanna

Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awards. Khanna was considered a style & fashion icon, often referred as 'Sexy Sanyasi' in media. After joining politics, he became the MP from the Gurdaspur constituency between 1998–2009 and 2014–2017. In July 2002, Khanna became the minister for Culture and Tourism in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. Six months later, he became the Minister of State for External Affairs. Khanna made his film debut in 1968, and initially acted in supporting and antagonistic roles; as an angry young man in the social drama Mere Apne, as the main villain in the action drama Mera Gaon Mera Desh, and as the military officer turned fugitive in the crime drama Achanak, which was a film based on the events of K. M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra. In 1982, at the peak of his film career, Khanna temporarily took a break from the film industry to follow his spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh. After a 5-year hiatus, he made a comeback to the Hindi film industry with Insaaf. In his later film career, Khanna played several memorable roles as a father in blockbuster movies such as Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010) and Dabangg 2 (2012). Khanna has been posthumously awarded India's highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2018 by the Government of India at 65th National Film Awards.