Back in 1969 a film hit the silver screen that quietly turned into cinematic storm. With its heart-touching music memorable performances and a story that struck an emotional chord it didn’t just entertain it became an emotion for the audience. What started as just another release soon became a record-breaking success running for an incredible 75 weeks. However this film was rejected by star actress Asha Parekh which became golden opportunity for another prominent actress. 1969’s Blockbuster Romantic Drama Here we are talking about Shakti Samanta’s ‘Aradhana’ which gave first superstar of Indian Cinema Late Rajesh Khanna his biggest blockbuster. Before this film Rajesh Khanna had worked in 3 films. But he got recognition from this blockbuster in which he played a double role. The film created a stir as soon as it was released. Rajesh Khanna had worked with many actresses in his career including Mumtaz Zeenat Aman Waheeda Rehman and Hema Malini. But people liked him with veteran actress Sharmila Tagore as their chemistry on screen became a huge topic amongst their die-hard admirers. After its release this film was declared a blockbuster which was based on the 1946 film To Each His Own featuring legendary actors Olivia de Havilland Mary Anderson Roland Culver and John Lund. However actress Sharmila Tagore was not the first choice for this film as it was first offered to Asha Parekh. When Asha Parekh Rejected Aradhana As per media reports makers wanted Asha Parekh to play the character of Vandana who ages from a young woman to a mother of a grown-up son. But after listening to this part Parekh was hesitant to take on the role where she would play both a young woman and a mother due to which makers decided to feature Sharmila Tagore. After its release it became a massive hit and later she admitted that turning down the role was a miscalculation on her part. Coming back to the film’s exhilarating performance Aradhana was the first Hindi film to run for 75 weeks in theatres in those days. This film ran in Indian theatres for 3 years and has been a platinum jubilee hit all over India. The songs of the film also became a huge hit. Especially the songs Mere Sapno Ki Rani Roop Tera Mastana and Safal Hogi Teri Aradhana from the film which won the hearts of people. The film made on budget of approximately Rs 4 lakhs earned Rs 17 crores worldwide.