Rajesh Khanna's personal life was as dramatic as any screenplay his films could offer. The man who defined superstardom for an entire generation of Hindi cinema had a love life full of sharp turns: a long relationship with model and actress Anju Mahendru that ended over a single condition she would not accept, a wedding with Dimple Kapadia that included a famously pointed detour past an ex's front door, and a marriage that ultimately unravelled just as the romance before it had.
A Career That Left Filmmakers Queuing Outside His Home
At the height of his career, filmmakers would line up outside Rajesh Khanna's house waiting for a chance to sign him. His filmography was a steady stream of hits, superhits and blockbusters. Some producers spent years simply hoping he would agree to be part of their project. He shared the screen with nearly every major actress of the era, including Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Mumtaz, Padmini Kolhapure and Asha Parekh. Among all these pairings, his collaboration with Mumtaz produced the greatest number of hit films.
Anju Mahendru and the Condition That Broke Everything
Away from the box office, Rajesh Khanna's romantic life was constant conversation in the industry. For many years, he was closely linked with model and actress Anju Mahendru. The relationship ran deep enough that he wanted to marry her, and he told her so. But he put forward a condition: she would have to walk away from her acting career and build a home life with him.
Anju Mahendru refused. She chose her career over becoming his bride, and with that refusal the distance between them grew steadily until the relationship came to an end.
The Baraat That Took a Very Deliberate Detour
After splitting from Anju, Dimple Kapadia entered Rajesh Khanna's life. Dimple was 15 years younger than him, and news of their upcoming wedding spread quickly through the film world. The marriage itself, however, came with a moment that people still talk about: Rajesh Khanna chose the route of his wedding procession so that it passed directly in front of Anju Mahendru's home.
The talk at the time was that he wanted his former girlfriend to see with her own eyes that he had moved on and was stepping into a new beginning.
A Second Relationship That Also Ran Its Course
But the marriage with Dimple Kapadia did not hold together either. Over time, the two drifted apart and spent their later years living separately. After the separation, Dimple returned to the screen and went on to work with a number of actors, including Rishi Kapoor and Akshay Khanna.
