Vinod Khanna’s decision to step away from Bollywood at the peak of his stardom to join Osho’s commune in Oregon remains one of the most talked-about chapters of his life. However, his second wife Kavita has revealed that the actor’s spiritual journey began much earlier than most people realise.Speaking to Loveena Tandon, Kavita said, “He was always spiritually inclined. When he was 17 years old, he picked up Autobiography of a Yogi from Strand Bookstore in Bombay, an iconic bookstore, and didn’t put the book down until he finished it. He stayed up all night reading it.”She added that even at the height of his film career, Vinod remained deeply connected to spiritual thought. “Whenever J Krishnamurti was in town, if he happened to be shooting, he would take the day off and go attend the lectures,” she shared.
‘Five deaths in the family changed everything’
Kavita revealed that Vinod Khanna’s bond with Osho deepened during an especially painful phase in his life. “I think he started listening to Osho’s discourses as they went through a terrible period in their lives, with five deaths in the family, including people who were particularly close to him, like his mother,” she said.Recalling a turning point, she added, “When his mother died, he went to the ashram and took sanyas. That’s how that journey began.”
Balancing superstardom with sanyas
Despite embracing a spiritual life, Vinod Khanna continued to honour his professional commitments—a fact Kavita says many are unaware of. “Most people don’t know that for three years, while completing the films he had already signed, which included super hits like Hera Pheri and Qurbani, where he looked his absolute best, he would come and shoot,” she explained.She described how Vinod lived a life of stark simplicity during this period. “If the shoot was on location, he’d be there, but his base was Pune. He had a room in the ashram that was just four feet by six feet,” she said, adding that even Osho joked about the space. “The room was so small that he had to step over the bed and sleep diagonally because there was barely any space.”Kavita added, “In front of the camera, he was doing films; off camera, he was meditating. He was Osho’s gardener in the ashram. Then he went to Oregon.”
‘To be a Buddha in the marketplace’
Explaining why Vinod eventually moved away from the ashram life, Kavita said he felt spiritually fulfilled. “I think he found what he was looking for. He didn’t feel the need to be in an ashram anymore,” she said. Summing up his philosophy, she added, “When you’re on a spiritual path, the idea isn’t to keep doing the same thing endlessly. You achieve a certain sense of peace. An inner evolution happens. And then the idea is to be a Buddha in the marketplace. To me, that’s the pinnacle of a spiritual journey. If you can be a Buddha in the marketplace, with everything happening around you, and still remain centered, then that’s really the thing.” Go to Source
