Secret Vows? Rajesh Khanna’s Partner Shares New Details

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India-West News Desk

MUMBAI — Anita Advani, who shared a long relationship with the late actor Rajesh Khanna, has claimed the two were secretly married in a private ceremony years before his death.

In an interview with Meri Saheli, Advani recalled that the wedding took place inside their home. “We had a small temple in the house. I had a mangal sutra made, gold with black beads. He made me wear it, then applied sindoor and said, ‘From today, you are my responsibility,’” she said. According to her, the union was never made public because such matters were rarely spoken about in the film industry.

Advani had a brief acting career, appearing in films such as Daasi (1981) and Aao Pyaar Karen (1983).

Advani further stated that her association with Khanna began before his marriage to actress Dimple Kapadia in 1973. “I came into his life before Dimple Kapadia,” she said, adding that she was too young to marry him at the time and later returned to Jaipur.

After Khanna’s death in July 2012, Advani alleged that she was barred from attending his funeral. She claimed that bouncers were deployed to keep her away.

Rajesh Khanna, widely regarded as India’s first film superstar, died in Mumbai in 2012. He is survived by his wife, Dimple Kapadia, and daughters Twinkle and Rinke Khanna. The legal validity of Advani’s claim remains unclear, as Khanna and Kapadia were never divorced.