When things went wrong between Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar: Love rumours around Anju Mahendroo

December 29 is special for Hindi cinema lovers. It is Rajesh Khanna’s birth anniversary. Born in 1942 he became Bollywood’s first real superstar. He gave 15 solo hit films in a row and no one has broken that record yet. Everything being said there is an old 'Slap' story between Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar and ETimes recounts that incident on the superstar's birth anniversary on this day.

Sanjeev Kumar and the silent comparison

Sanjeev Kumar was very different from Rajesh Khanna. He was known for calm and deep acting. He played common men with ease. Films like Sholay, Aandhi, Angoor and Khilona made him special. People respected him a lot. Even though both were big stars their styles were very different. Over time stories of tension between them started floating around. One story became the most talked about and never really went away.

Anju Mahendroo and the rumours

Rajesh Khanna’s personal life was always in the news. His long relationship with Anju Mahendroo was known to all. They lived together for almost seven years and separated in 1972. Later rumours started that Sanjeev Kumar was close to Anju. This gossip upset Rajesh Khanna as per reports. Anju later clarified that Sanjeev Kumar was like family to her. She said he was like her mother’s brother. Still, the misunderstanding stayed in people’s minds and added fuel to the story.

The slap and what followed

During the shooting of a film where Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar were together a slap was part of the scene. As per reports the slap was delivered with more force than needed. Many felt it was not just acting. People believed it showed hidden anger and old pain. This moment became a big talking point and added years of rumours about their fallout.

Around the same time in an interview with SCREEN Anju Mahendroo also spoke about her troubled relationship with Rajesh Khanna. She once said, “If I wore a skirt, he’d snap, why don’t you wear a saree? If I wore a saree, he’d wrinkle his nose and say, why are you trying to project a Bhartiya nari look?”







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