Title - When Shimla 'rooted' for Rajesh Khanna

SHIMLA: Superhero and king of romance Rajesh Khanna's stardom had spread its roots in Shimla too. A deodar tree at Naldehra in the city is known as 'Paro-Madho', lead characters immortalized by Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini in the hit movie 'Kudrat' which was filmed around this hill station.A few of the superstar's movies were set in this tourist destination. Shooting for his 1973 flick 'Daag' and 'Kudrat' (1981) saw fans thronging the place to have a glimpse of the hero. The Bollywood legend also romanced Sharmila Tagore and Rakhi across the hill station landscape in 'Daag', which showed the charm of Shimla on celluloid.Writer and escort Sumit Vashsisth said, "One day my father told me that the shooting of 'Kudrat' is going on at the Shimla railway station and it has some scenes of Rajesh Khanna coming in a train. We went to watch the shoot and there was such a crowd that it was difficult for us to reach the spot."During the shoot of a movie in which Khanna portrayed a rickshaw-puller, people lined up at Ridge and the historic Christ Church to see the superstar taking a newlywed British couple in his rickshaw.Sarla Chopra, senior manager at the Chail Palace hotel of HPTC, said, "Tourists often come to visit this property reminiscing that 'Daag' was the first film to be shot in Chail Palace and we have heard from old timers that songs of the film were shot in the lawns of the hotel and in a children's park nearby."Sudarshan Sharma, manager at the historic Gaiety Theatre, said, "the opening song of 'Kudrat' (Humey tumse pyaar kitna) was shot in the old hall of the theatre and shows the legendary hero watching the performance in the theatre."