Akshay Khanna bids a teary Good-bye to Dad Vinod Khanna

A large number of Bollywood personalities attended the last rites of veteran actor-turned-BJP politician Vinod Khanna at the Worli Hindu Crematorium on Thursday evening.

His son Akshay Khanna stood beside the funeral pyre with tears in his eyes as he bid a final goodbye to his dear father.

Akshay's step-brother, Sakshi lit the pyre a short while after their father's flower-bedecked body was brought from their Malabar Hill residence where it was kept for people to pay homage.

Khanna, 70, passed away after battling bladder cancer around 11.30 am today plunging the country's entertainment industry into grief.

A large number of teary-eyed actors, producers, directors and a few actresses, his colleagues in the Bharatiya Janata Party, fans and admirers also turned up to pay their final respects both at his home and the crematorium.

Among the prominent ones seen at the funeral rites were Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and son Ranvir Kapoor, Kabir Bedi, Danny Denzongpa, Arjun Rampal, Jackie Shroff, Jeetendra, Dia Mirza, Puneet Issar, writer-poet Gulzar, directors Ramesh Sippy, Ramesh Taurani, Subhash Ghai, NCP leader Praful Patel, and BJP MP Kirit Somaiya among many more.

A large number of fans and admirers of the late actor waited on both sides of the streets to catch the last glimpse of their favourite actor as the funeral procession wended its way from Malabar Hill to the crematorium.

Khanna, a former union minister, passed away this morning at the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital where he was under treatment since nearly a month.