Whirlwind romance to estranged lovers: Decoding Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia’s love story

Rajesh Khanna was hailed as the biggest superstar of his time, who made women go weak in the knees with his charismatic smile. The acting stalwart and national idol lost his heart to a much younger, and drop-dead gorgeous Dimple Kapadia. From an early marriage to embracing parenthood and ending up as estranged lovers… here’s taking a look at the tumultuous love story of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.


Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna’s FIRST meeting
A few years ago, Dimple Kapadia had recalled her first ever meeting with Rajesh Khanna, which was on a flight. The actress had crossed paths with the superstar after she had signed her debut movie, Raj Kapoor's 'Bobby'. Speaking at a FICCI event, Dimple shared, “We were going to Ahmedabad on a private flight for a function. I was born dramatic. Bachpan se drama ka shauk bohot jyada tha. He sat next to me. I was looking at him. Rajesh Khanna, I mean come on guys, give me a break. I very chalaak-ly told him, ‘Wahan toh bohot crowd hoga, bheed hogi. Aap mera haath pakdoge na? (That place will be very crowded right? Will you hold my hand?)’ He said, ‘Haan bilkul (Yes, why not).’ I replied, ‘Hamesha ke liye? (Forever?)’ And the rest is history. It happened."

Wedding bells
Dimple admitted that a week after their meeting on the flight, her wedding with the first superstar of India was confirmed. In March 1973, Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna tied the knot. The couple gained a lot of attention for their massive age gap. While Dimple was just 16 years old at that time, Rajesh Khanna was 31 years old. A grand marriage reception was hosted at Hotel Horizon, Juhu, Mumbai. And soon after Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia headed off to Europe for their honeymoon.

A marriage mired in controversy
Fresh from the success of 'Bobby', Dimple Kapadia was flooded with offers. But Rajesh Khanna reportedly stopped her acting career after the marriage. Moreover, the superstar also witnessed a slew of flops in his own career. Reminiscing the tough days, Dimple shared with India Today, "It was my first encounter in life with failure. When a successful man goes to pieces, his frustration engulfs the entire surroundings. It was a pathetic sight when Rajesh waited at the end of the week for collection figures but the people didn't have the guts to come and tell him. I left the house thrice earlier, but every time I went back home I felt sorry about the whole thing and came back. Both Rajesh and I were unable to accept the failure of our marriage. But I realised I wouldn't survive as a human being if I lived there any longer. I got totally neurotic because I was prepared to do anything...to go to any extreme ...only in order to extract a smile from him."


What added to the turmoil was Rajesh Khanna being linked to another young budding actress Tina Munim. Dimple had shared, “I was not in the least bothered by the procession of women who walked into Rajesh's life thereafter, but the marriage was certainly not based on any equality. It was a farce, but it took me such a hell of a long time to realise that!"

Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna’s separationUnfortunately, this dreamy saga didn't last long. The once madly-in-love couple became estranged by 1982. Dimple Kapadia reportedly left Ashirwad with her daughters Twinkle and Pinkie, then aged eight years and five years respectively. Reflecting on her marriage years later, Dimple had told India Today, "The life and happiness in our house came to an end the day I and Rajesh got married." On The Pritish Nandy Show, Dimple attempted to decode as to what went wrong and shared, "I think we were two very different kind of people. I was probably very young to understand what was happening to this man, who was a superstar. I have never been able to understand stars and their behaviour pattern at all because I am not one myself. I just couldn’t understand." She soon revived her career, marking a successful comeback with 'Saagar'.

Separated, not divorced
Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna never had a formal divorce. The couple was estranged but was never legally separated. In an interview the superstar had once mentioned that his wife was not ready to give him divorce, for reasons best known to her. Dimple had also once expressed that Rajesh Khanna, as the father of her daughters, was an important part of her life. Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012 and Dimple Kapadia was reportedly by his side during his final days.










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