Vinod Khanna birth anniversary: When Akshaye Khanna recalled his father leaving family to become Osho's follower
Written By
DNA Web Team
| Updated: Oct 06, 2020, 09:14 AM IST
File Photo, Instagram: @svkhanna
Akshaye Khanna had spoken at length about his father and late actor Vinod Khanna leaving family and film industry to become Osho's follower back in the 80s.
It's 74th birth anniversary of Vinod Khanna. The veteran actor passed away in 2017 after losing battle to cancer. Vinod Khanna was one of the topmost actors we had in Bollywood. His charm, handsome look and incredible performances made him a favourite of many. However, amid his successful career back in the 80s, Khanna left the film industry and became a follower of spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh. He was away from the limelight for about five years.
Earlier this year, Akshaye had interacted with Midday and recalled his father Vinod going away from family and become an Osho's follower. The Dil Chahta Hai actor was about five years old then. He stated, "One doesn't look at it like that at five. Osho had nothing to do with my thoughts about why my dad wasn't there. That came much later. As one grows, maybe 15 or 16, you start learning, listening or reading about the person who…"
Talking about his father leaving his family, Akshaye shared, "To not only leave his family but to take 'sannyasa' (renunciation). Sanyaas means giving up your life in totality — family is [only] a part of it. It's a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time. As a five-year-old, it was impossible [for me] to understand it. I can understand it now."
He added, "In the sense that something must have moved him so deep inside, that he felt that that kind of decision was worth it for him. Especially, when you have everything in life. And when life doesn't look as though there's much more that you can have."
When asked if Vinod Khanna was eventually disillusioned with Osha, Akshaye replied, "From whatever memories I have about my father talking about that time in his life, I don't think that was a reason at all. It was just the fact that the commune was disbanded, destroyed, and everybody had to find their own way. That's when he came back. Otherwise, I don't think he would've ever come back."
