Amit Khanna: The untold story behind 'Chalte Chalte'

In his youth, Amit Khanna pursued diverse interests, including editing a magazine and interviewing film star Dev Anand in New Delhi during the late 1960s. This initial encounter led to an unexpected association with Anand's production house, Navketan, where Khanna joined in 1971. He quickly became the de-facto head, earning Rs 1,200 monthly, more than his colleagues. Khanna's foray into lyricism for the 1976 film 'Chalte Chalte' was also serendipitous, stemming from a chance recommendation and a quick writing session. He penned all five songs for the film in just three days, with his debut song featuring a sensuous opening line. His work later earned him a national award for best lyricist for the song 'Kuch is tarah' in 'Bhairavi' (1995). Separately, Khanna recounted a taxi conversation with Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who had expressed regret over his son Amitabh Bachchan leaving a stable job to pursue a career in cinema. Khanna was in his youth when he first encountered Dev Anand, leading to a significant career in the entertainment industry. He later established Plus Channel and became founder-chairman of Reliance Entertainment.