Veteran actor Vijayta Pandit, sister of Sulakshana Pandit and part of the family that includes composer duo Jatin-Lalit, has opened up about the real reason her film career came to an abrupt end. Vijayta is best known for her film ‘Love Story’ with Kumar Gaurav. In a recent interview, she opened up on her love story with Kumar Gaurav and how that made Rajendra Kumar ruin her career. Vijayta and Kumar Gaurav made their debut together in the 1981 hit ‘Love Story’, a film that turned both into overnight sensations. But while Kumar Gaurav later delivered another major success with ‘Naam’, Vijayta faded from the industry, and, as she now claims, her off-screen love story with him was equally ill-fated.During a recent interview, Vijayta recounted that Kumar Gaurav had promised to marry her and kept her waiting for years, only to eventually wed Sanjay Dutt’s sister Namrata Dutt, a decision she says he took without even informing her. According to her, Rajendra Kumar and the family “brainwashed” him into walking away from their relationship.She said during a chat with Vickey Lalwani, “My life became a tragedy after Kumar Gaurav came into my life. My whole life was finished after that. His father didn’t let me work with him. My career was over. I was like a handicap person. What could I have done? I had also loved him. It was Kumar Gaurav, who said I love you first. I didn’t pursue him. He used to come to my home to meet me. He became like family to me and he wanted to marry me. He promised marriage to me and made me wait for so many years and then married somebody else. I didn’t know how he took this drastic step.”Vijayta further said she always knew the family opposed their relationship, especially Rajendra Kumar. She recalled discovering Kumar Gaurav’s wedding plans only days after he had professed his love. “Rajendra Kumar didn’t like that me and his son were in love. He was against us. So, when our film (Love Story) became a hit, he thought that the film only worked because of his son and that was not true. Kumar Gaurav didn’t tell me till the end that he was getting married. I tried to call him till the last day but I stopped after he got married.” She added further, “I think his family brainwashed him and made him marry Namrata Dutt. I got the news that he’s getting married, and I had just spoken to him 3 days ago, and he had told me ‘I love you’, but then I found out that he’s getting married. Imagine what would be my situation? He didn’t even give me a hint that he is in talks to get married to Namrata.”The news, she said, devastated her family. “My parents were in shock. This was a big jolt to my family. My mother fainted in shock. Nobody could believe that that boy could do this to me because he would visit me regularly at home,” she shared.She added that when she tried reaching out to Kumar Gaurav before his wedding, she wasn’t allowed to speak to him. According to Vijayta, Rajendra Kumar believed Love Story succeeded solely because of his son and didn’t want her associated with him. “Kumar Gaurav didn’t tell me till the end that he was getting married. I tried to call him till the last day but I stopped after he got married,” she said.In an earlier interview with SCREEN, she had also mentioned the family’s efforts to distance Kumar Gaurav from her. “I don’t think he suffered. We both were in love and his family was against it. They wanted to move Bunty’s focus from me. One of his sisters would study with Namrata Dutt (Sanjay Dutt’s sister). She used to bring Namrata home and they started pushing them to know each other. They thought she was better than Vijayta. The family pressurized him so much that eventually Namrata and Bunty came close. They thought she was Sunil Dutt’s daughter and was wealthy, so she was a better option for Kumar Gaurav.” Go to Source
