The late superstar Rajesh Khanna’s on-and-off relationship with actor Anju Mahendru made headlines for decades, even when he was married to Dimple Kapadia and involved with Tina Munim. They didn’t speak for nearly two decades after he broke up with her and ‘married Dimple on the rebound’, according to a 1987 article published in Screen magazine. All three women in Khanna’s life – Anju, Dimple, and Tina – were interviewed for the article, as well as ‘Kaka’ himself, who chipped in to defend himself and offer his perspective on what went down.
Said Anju, “When we spoke to each other for the first time after almost 17 years, I admit that both of us felt a bit awkward. I didn’t call him Jatin as I used to in the past and he didn’t call me Nikki. I didn’t call him Kaka either. It would have been too filmy.” The article noted that Anju was the only one who refused to cower under the increasing influence of Khanna’s stardom. He would show her rushes of his films in the hope of receiving praise, but it never came. “I was critical because that’s how I am. If he was bad, I always said so. Why should I have praised him just to keep him happy? There were plenty around to boost his ego. He has always been sensitive to criticism and I’ve always been very frank,” she said.
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Khanna added, “I didn’t expect praise. All I wanted was a nod of approval… A gesture that reassured. But she was always ruthlessly critical.” Contrary to how he was with others, Khanna always sought the company of Anju. When he got back from work, “he’d get frantic if Anju wasn’t in the beautiful bungalow he had gifted her.” He would call up all her friends and follow her everywhere. “The world was after me and I was after her,” Khanna admitted, ‘bitterly’, according to the article.
Anju Mahendroo shared a photo in Rajesh Khanna’s memory. (Photo: Anju Mahendroo/Twitter)
Describing her impression of Khanna, Anju said, “Basically he is a very orthodox man, yet somehow he always gets attracted to ultra modern girls. I know it’s a contradiction, but then Rajesh Khanna is like that. Confusion was a part of our relationship. If I wore a skirt, he’d snap, why don’t you wear a saree? If I wore a saree, he’d wrinkle his nose and say, why are you trying to project a Bhartiya nari look?'”
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He would behave in a similar fashion with Dimple, whom he reportedly refused to acknowledge. “Everywhere I went, I was told that I was the most gorgeous woman in the world. But I never got a word of praise from him. It was as if he hadn’t noticed me,” she said. According to the article, Khanna made sure to route his baraat via Anju’s house, but despite this passive-aggressive gesture, she would call up theatre owners and ask how his films were doing. “His perverseness was the other side of his generosity. His cruel moods alternated with his gentle nature,” the article observed.
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