When Akshaye Khanna spoke about Vinod Khanna leaving his wife, children and going to Osho's ashram: 'As a five-year-old, it was impossible for me to understand it'

Akshaye Khanna, who is currently receiving widespread acclaim for his role in Aditya Dhar’s 'Dhurandhar', is known for maintaining a quiet public persona. Although he rarely gives candid interviews, years ago he had spoken openly about one of the most defining chapters of his childhood, his father Vinod Khanna’s decision to leave everything behind to follow Osho and move to Rajneeshpuram. Vinod Khanna was at the peak of his career when he left Bollywood and went to Osho's ashram.

He left his wife and young sons Rahul Khanna and Akshaye in India when he moved to Oregon. Recalling that time, Akshaye had shared with Mid-day, “To not only leave his family, but to take ‘sanyaas’ (renunciation). Sanyaas means giving up your life in totality, family is only a part of it. It’s a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time. As a five-year-old, it was impossible for me to understand it. I can understand it now.”




He reflected that his father must have experienced something deeply transformative to make such a decision. He said, “Something must have moved him so deeply inside that he felt that that kind of decision was worth it for him. Especially when you have everything in life. A very basic fault line/earthquake has to occur within oneself to make that decision. But also stick by it. One can make the decision and say this doesn’t suit me, let’s go back. But that didn’t happen. And circumstances in America with Osho and the colony, friction with the US government, that was the reason he came back.”

When asked whether Vinod Khanna’s return had anything to do with disillusionment, Akshaye clarified that it wasn’t about losing faith. He explained,

“From whatever memories I have about my father talking about that time in his life, I don’t think that was a reason at all. It was just the fact that the commune was disbanded and destroyed, and everybody had to find their own way. That’s when he came back. Otherwise, I don’t think he would’ve ever come back.”

He also shared that he remains deeply drawn to Osho’s teachings even today, though he does not see himself walking the same path. “I’ve read a lot of Osho’s discourses and seen hundreds of thousands of videos; I love him. I don’t know if sanyaas is something that I could do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his discourses and respect his intellect, oratory skills, and way of thinking. I have deep respect for him.”

After Vinod Khanna returned from Osho's commune in the mid-80s, his marriage to his first wife, Gitanjali, ended in divorce by 1985, and he later married Kavita Daftary (now Khanna).

Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here