Dimple: My journey with Rajesh Khanna was a roller coaster ride

A bronze statue of legendary actor Rajesh Khanna was unveiled over the weekend, in the presence of his family -- wife Dimple Kapadia, daughter Twinkle Khanna and son-in-law Akshay Kumar -- and several Bollywood personalities.

The statue will be installed at the Walk Of The Stars, in Bandstand in the western suburb of Bandra in Mumbai by UTV Stars.

The statue shows the actor holding two balloons, an iconic pose from his touching film, Anand.

"My journey with Rajesh Khanna was good, thrilling... a roller coaster ride," said Dimple. "I feel honoured to have two children with him.

“Kakaji (as Khanna was fondly called) was energetic. He lived and died on his own terms,” she added. “His contribution to cinema is unparalleled. He was the first superstar. His courage, bravery and fearlessness were there even during the time of his death. He lived like Anand in real life."

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Twinkle got teary-eyed when she spoke of her late father.

"He is in my heart and will always live there,” she said. “It is a sentimental moment for us. As a family, we are happy with this initiative.”

Akshay, meanwhile, read out a note written by his young son Aarav.

The note read: “He was in bed and did not remember anyone except me. He kissed me. I don't know what happened to him. He was a great person and will always be there by my side."

"Aarav was very close to his grandfather," Akshay explained.

Rajesh Khanna was 69, when he breathed his last on July 18, 2012 following a prolonged illness.

“The balloons signify that he was always free in life. The statue looks good,” Akshay added. "It’s a big thing that the statue will be placed along with actors like Shammi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor."

Others present at the event was were Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Farhan Akhtar, Rakesh Roshan, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman and Mithun.

"There's tremendous amount of sincerity in his work, simplicity in his presence and an affirmation in the smile he had and the twinkle in his eye. Enjoy his legacy and take inspiration from him. We will be extremely happy to look at the statue when we walk out for work in the morning. It’ll be like an amazing shot of espresso coffee," said Farhan.

Actresses Shammi and Anju Mahendru shared a warm moment at the event. Incidentally, Shammi's sister -- legendary dress designer Mani Rabadi -- passed away recently.