India's first superstar, Rajesh Khanna's relationship with actress, Anju Mahendru is one of the most-talked about relationships till today. There was a time when Rajesh admitted that he married Dimple Kapadia as a rebound. Rajesh and Anju had a bitter breakup, and they had not talked with each other for seventeen years. But, some love stories are meant to stay incomplete, and such was the love shared between Anju and Rajesh. Interestingly, Anju Mahendru was with him when he took his last breath.
The late superstar Rajesh Khanna's tumultuous relationship with Anju Mahendru was known to all. A magazine article by Screen in 1987 featured a conversation with Rajesh Khanna and the three ladies of his life — Dimple Kapadia, Anju Mahendru and Tina Munin. In the interview, Anju shared how her opinionated self affected Rajesh and became the reason for their separation.
Anju revealed how Rajesh Khanna was an orthodox man who fell for ultra-modern women in his life. The actress revealed that if she ever wore a skirt, he would snap at her, and ask her to wear a saree. But when she would wear a saree he would question her for projecting a Bhartiya nari look. She said:
"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?’"
Another highlight of the unique relationship shared between Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru was how she always expressed her opinion in front of the superstar. His superstardom never affected Anju Mahendru. When Rajesh Khanna would show her rushes of his films in the hope of receiving admiration, Anju would blatantly share her thoughts. She was quoted as saying:
"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."
It is said that once you love someone, you cannot unlove them. Well, this holds true in the relationship between Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru. The ex-couple stopped talking to each other, but it was during Rajesh Khanna's last days that they rekindled their love. In an interview with Zoom Entertainment, Rajesh Khanna's best friend, Bhupesh Raseen, revealed the day Rajesh Khanna passed away, his ex-girlfriend, Anju was in the room.
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Bhupesh called it the saddest day of his life and revealed that Rajesh Khanna's son-in-law, Akshay Kumar, was sitting by his feet when his pulse was dipping. He also added that Rajesh's ex, Anju Mahendroo, was also present in the room, and she was standing by the door.
Another interesting fact about Anju and Rajesh's love story is that when the superstar got married to Dimple, he intentionally took his baraat from his ex's home.
Next Read: When Rajesh Khanna's GF, Anju Mahendroo Revealed He Wanted Her To Fall At His Feet Like Other Ladies
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