Anita Advani, live-in partner of late superstar Rajesh Khanna, spoke about a difficult phase in the actor’s life, recalling how he was left isolated when his films stopped performing at the box office.Speaking in an interview with Vicky Lalwani, Anita spoke about the time when the actor’s career took a dip and how it affected his personal life.
“Slowly, everyone left him.”
Speaking about that period, Anita said, “There was a time when his films were not successful. When that happened, even his people started distancing themselves from him.”She added: “Slowly, one by one, everyone left him – friends, family and people around him. No one stood by him.”She drew attention to the emotional impact it had, saying: “In times like these, isn’t that the reason why a person gets married? So that someone will stand by you when the world leaves you. But in his case, from all sides… it felt like everyone had turned against him.”When asked if the industry was actively marginalizing the actor, Anita said, “Yes, definitely. I felt like there was a campaign against it. People would say, ‘Don’t take it, don’t put it out’.”
Back and dedication to the craft
Despite the setbacks, Rajesh Khanna made a comeback with films like Avtaar. Anita recalled hearing about his dedication during that time.Referring to what Shabana Azmi shared, she said, “He even walked up to Vaishno Devi and slept on the floor. He was a very dedicated artiste.”“He took great care of continuity, bringing the costumes home so nothing would be disturbed. He was very honest about his work,” she added.
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“I didn’t follow his life after we broke up.”
Talking about her own equation with the actor during that period, Anita said, “I wasn’t following his life at that time. Our lives went our separate ways… I didn’t want unnecessary pain.”Recalling her interactions with industry insiders, Anita revealed, “No one had the courage to say anything. If someone did, they would get upset. I don’t think they were in a place to listen either.”
The story behind “Kaka Ji”
She also talked about the origin of his nickname.“In Punjabi families, children are called ‘Kaka’. He was a very spoiled child, so everyone started calling him ‘Kaka ji,'” she said.But she explained: “He was saying: Why do you call me that? This is what you call a child.” He didn’t really like the name.”Although, Anita added, “I never called him Rajesh. It just stayed on my tongue.”
