‘Rajesh Khanna married me, was excluded from his chautha’

Khanna, the couple was living separately. They officially did not sign the divorce papers but were estranged. Meanwhile, Anita Advani was in a relationship with Rajesh Khanna and was there by his side even during his last breath. Now in a recent interview, Anita has claimed that Khanna had even gotten married to her. She further recalled the hurtful moments when Dimple Kapadia and his family excluded her from his final rites and ‘chautha’. She opened up in an interview with ‘Meri Saheli’, “We got married privately, but in the film industry, no one talks about such things openly. Everyone says ‘we’re friends’ or ‘we’re in a relationship’ or something else. But it was already reported in the media that I was with him, so neither of us felt the need to go and publicly announce that we were married. We never felt that need.” She went on to recount how the private ceremony took place: “We had a small temple in our home. I had a mangal sutra made, gold with black beads. He made me wear it. Then he applied sindoor and said, ‘From today, you are my responsibility.’ That’s how our wedding happened one night, just like that.”Anita also revealed that her relationship with Khanna began before he had met Dimple. “Yes, I came into his life before Dimple Kapadia. But we didn’t get married at the time because I was so young. Eventually, I went back to Jaipur.” Further opening up on being excluded from his final rites, she said, “They had bouncers stationed there to stop me from coming in, I learned this from friends. When I told them I planned to go, they warned me that I would not be allowed inside. Still, they said, ‘If anything happens, we’re here for you.’ But I was stunned and asked, ‘Why all this?’ Some of my staff and close friends encouraged me to go, even suggested I carry a camera and record what they do. But I thought, how can I do such a thing on such a solemn day? So I didn’t go. I held my own chautha for him alone at a temple.”While talking about this, Anita broke down, thus recalling how deeply this affected her. “It would have been beneath my dignity to go there after everything. And frankly, it was beneath theirs to treat me that way, to call bouncers for me. One of my friends who did attend told me that they were blocking seats to ensure I wouldn’t have a place to sit. They even told one of our family lawyers to ‘handle me’ if I showed up. What does that even mean? I was shocked. I would never go to Kakaji’s chautha to create a scene. I would never even think of it. That’s why I didn’t go. And what happened there? It was all just a show. No one had any real feelings for him,” she said. Another controversy surfaced during Rajesh Khanna’s funeral. Reports claimed that Anita Advani tried to climb into the vehicle carrying his body but was immediately asked to step down by the family.For almost eight years, Anita maintained that she was in a live-in relationship with the superstar until his death in 2012. Calling herself his “surrogate wife,” she said she looked after his household, including the famous Aashirwad bungalow, and cared for him during his ill health. She also shared that she observed rituals like Karva Chauth for him.After Rajesh Khanna’s passing, Anita filed a legal case against his family, demanding maintenance and official recognition of her relationship with the late actor. However, since he always remained legally married to Dimple Kapadia despite their separation, he could not have formally married Anita.

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