Rajesh Khanna yelled at God when he had seven flops, Dimple Kapadia came running: 'Success hit me, I couldn't take failure'

Rajesh Khanna was 31 when he married a much younger, 16-year old Dimple Kapadia in 1973. Their marriage left everyone surprised however, he did not want her to continue acting after marriage and that led to leaving movies despite a huge hit like 'Bobby'. However, soon, after having two daughters - Twinkle and Rinkle Khanna, the duo separated. Though, they never officially got divorced.

Years later, Dimple reflected on that turbulent phase with rare honesty. Speaking to Pritish Nandy in a 1994 interview, she admitted how ill-prepared she had been for the life she stepped into. She said, “I think we were two very different kinds of people. And I was probably very young to understand what was happening to this man who was a superstar. I mean I have never been able to understand stars and their behaviour patterns at all because I am not one myself. It’s very difficult for me to… I couldn’t understand it. I just couldn’t understand it."




When asked whether that chapter of her life had been traumatic, she replied simply, “Yes it was."

Rajesh Khanna, too, spoke openly about his emotional struggles during that period. In a 1990 interview with Movie magazine, he recalled breaking down after enduring a string of box-office failures. He said, “One after another, seven films had just flopped in a row. It was raining, pitch-dark and up there alone on my terrace, I lost control. I yelled out. ‘Parvardigar, hum garibon ka itna sakt imtihan na le ki hum tere wajood ko inkar kar de (God, don’t test my patience to such an extent that I question your very existence).’"

He went on to explain the moment further, saying, “Of course, Dimple and my staff came running, thinking that I had gone insane. It was because success hit me so much that I couldn’t take the failure."

Following their separation, Dimple rebuilt her career and carved a respected space for herself in the industry once again. Rajesh, on the other hand, was briefly linked to his co-star Tina Munim.

Despite living apart for decades, Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia never legally ended their marriage. Asked in 1994 if she would consider marrying again, Dimple responded with guarded optimism.

“Yes, I would. I don’t know how I’d be able to adjust because I am so used to being my own person, but sure, I would love to get married again."Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”