The late superstar Rajesh Khanna experienced both extraordinary success and deep personal lows, with his wife Dimple Kapadia witnessing much of his journey. Marrying him as a teenager while he was twice her age, Dimple quickly realized their marriage was troubled. She eventually left Khanna in the early 1980s, taking their two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke, with her. In a candid 1987 interview with ‘Screen’ magazine, she reflected on her life with the legendary actor.
Dimple was captivated by Khanna, famously known as Kaka, and he was well aware of her admiration. “Everywhere I went, I was told that I was the most gorgeous woman in the world. But I never got a word of praise from him. It was as if he hadn’t noticed me,” she recalled. Despite her independence in choosing her clothes and social circles, she admitted that his approval was what she sought most, as highlighted in the interview.
She described how her efforts to win his attention and approval were exhausting and fruitless. “I was always waiting for some reaction, but it never came. All my energy was spent in doing what he wanted and anticipating his approval. It was like climbing a ladder. No matter how fast I climbed, he was still many rungs ahead,” she said. Dimple also witnessed Khanna’s decline, noting, “He neither shared his happiness nor his sorrow and I was too frightened of giving him any kind of support. All I could do was wait in attendance just in case he needed me.”
In a separate 1985 interview, conducted as she was preparing to relaunch her acting career, Dimple opened up about her experience with failure during her marriage. “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,” she revealed.
After her separation from Khanna, Dimple moved back in with her mother. Reflecting on this challenging period during an event in Jaipur, she praised her daughter Twinkle for the maturity she displayed at such a young age. “She’s an amazing child. She must have been all of seven or eight when I got separated. The kind of maturity… She was only wanting to take care of me, to see if I was okay, if everything was alright with me,” Dimple shared.
Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna’s love story is one of Bollywood’s most iconic yet complex tales, marked by passion, fame, and turbulence. Their romance began in the early 1970s, a time when Rajesh Khanna, known as the first superstar of Indian cinema, was at the peak of his career. Dimple, who was just a teenager and on the verge of her own stardom with her debut film *Bobby*, was captivated by Khanna’s charisma and larger-than-life persona.
Despite their significant age difference—Rajesh was 15 years older than Dimple—their connection was undeniable. They quickly decided to marry, and their wedding in 1973 was one of the most talked-about events in Bollywood. Dimple, just 16 at the time, gave up her promising film career to become Mrs. Rajesh Khanna, stepping into the role of a devoted wife.
However, their marriage soon encountered challenges. The pressures of Rajesh’s waning stardom, coupled with his traditional expectations of a wife, began to strain their relationship. Dimple, who had given up so much for the marriage, found herself struggling to adjust to the realities of life with a superstar. Despite her efforts to support Rajesh, the emotional distance between them grew. Dimple often felt overshadowed and unappreciated, as she sought his approval and affection, which were rarely forthcoming.
The couple’s relationship was further strained by Rajesh’s career decline, which brought out his frustrations and insecurities. Dimple, who had initially idolized Rajesh, found herself increasingly disillusioned. By the early 1980s, the couple decided to separate, with Dimple moving out with their two young daughters, Twinkle and Rinke.
Despite their separation, the bond between Dimple and Rajesh remained complex and enduring. They never formally divorced, and Dimple often spoke of Rajesh with a mix of admiration and sadness. In the years following their split, Dimple made a successful return to acting, while Rajesh continued to grapple with the highs and lows of his career.
Their love story is remembered as a bittersweet saga of two larger-than-life personalities, whose passion for each other was as intense as the challenges they faced. It is a story of love, loss, and the enduring impact of a relationship that, despite its flaws, remained a defining chapter in both their lives.
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