Rajesh Khanna’s turbulent later years; Anita Advani reveals fights, frustration – ‘He would just be irritated by little things’ | Hindi Movie News
Actor Rajesh Khanna, remembered as Hindi cinema’s “first superstar,” ruled the silver screen with his charm but struggled deeply in his personal life once his stardom began to fade. His alleged girlfriend Anita Advani, who lived with him from 2000 onwards, recently opened up about the challenges of being with him during those years. Speaking on the Meri Saheli podcast, Anita shared, “He was very quiet at that point, but after a few drinks he used to get aggressive and angry. I don’t think it was frustration over his career, but he would just be irritated by little things… He was just venting at that point, because he had a lot of baggage with him.”
‘He just wanted a channel to let everything out’
According to Anita, Khanna’s irritability stemmed not just from his fading stardom but also from his loneliness. “Psychologically speaking, he just wanted a channel to let everything out. He used to tell me, ‘Who am I going to fight with if I don’t fight with you?’” she recalled. Their daily life often spiraled into heated arguments—even over something as trivial as her telling him his room was dirty. “He never used to physically attack me, but he used to playfully hit me when I used to say or do anything wrong. But he was never violent,” she clarified. The couple fought frequently, with Anita often escaping to her sister’s house. “I used to run away… refuse to pick up his phone. Then he would send his staff with a hamper and note. I used to send it back, but after a few days, I used to give in because even I missed him,” she confessed.
A superstar’s decline
Rajesh Khanna’s struggles in his later years were no secret. His ex-wife, actor Dimple Kapadia, had also described his decline as heartbreaking. “When a successful man goes to pieces, his frustration engulfs the entire surroundings,” she once told India Today. On the work front, Rajesh Khanna was last seen in ‘Riyasat’.
