India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna was successful in his acting career but also always remained in the news for his personal life. Out of all his relationships, including his wedding with Dimple Kapadia, Rajesh Khanna's relationship with actress Anju Mahendru is the most talked about. The duo had a bitter break-up, after which, Rajesh Khanna went on to marry Dimple Kapadia. They had two children - Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna.
Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru did not part ways on a positive note. Due to this, they did not speak with each other for seventeen years. However, Anju Mahendru was by Rajesh Khanna's side when he took his last breath. In a passive-aggressive move, Rajesh Khanna even made sure that his baarat passed by Anju Mahendru's house.
It has been many years since Rajesh Khanna passed away but his tumultuous relationship with Anju Mahendru still garners attention. One in an interview in 1987, Anju Mahendru candidly revealed how her opinionated self affected Rajesh Khanna and ultimately became the reason for their separation.
Anju Mahendru also shared that Rajesh Khanna was an orthodox man who always fell in love with ultra-modern women. Anju Mahendru was quoted as saying, "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?"
Anju Mahendru also revealed that she always expressed her opinion in front of the superstar and was never affected by the superstardom of Rajesh Khanna.
She said, "I was critical because that’s how I am. If he was bad (in a film), 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."
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