Mumtaz says that Rajesh Khanna would’ve been alive today had he married…; his wedding with Dimple Kapadia was…

Anju's close friend, and veteran actress Mumtaz, gave her opinion on Rajesh's relationship with Dimple. She said...

Bollywood has witnessed many couples making their way through thick and thin. However, many even part ways, and then there are those whose weddings come as a shocker for many. Today, we will discuss about India’s first superstar’s wedding, which was none other than Rajesh Khanna. Fondly called as Kaka, Rajesh Khanna had his own fan following among people. It was not only his female fans who wanted to marry him; there were plenty of actresses as well who thought of tying the knot with the actor. However, fate had something else planned for him and Khanna, in the end, got married to Dimple Kapadia. Their wedding was controversial, mainly because of the age gap. And, after nine years of marriage, the duo separated.

However, let us tell you that Dimple was not the only girl in Rajesh’s life. Actress Anju Mahendru and Khanna’s love story was a significant chapter in Bollywood history, lasting from 1966 to 1972. During this time, the duo lived together. While initially both the actors were deeply in love, it was later that their relationship faced major challenges leading to separation.

Anju’s close friend, and veteran actress Mumtaz, gave her opinion on Rajesh’s relationship with Dimple. She said that firstly, she was never linked with Khanna. She said that she ‘missed the boat’ because he was in love with her friend, Anju. In an interview, Mumtaz said that Anju had no idea about Khanna taking the step to get married to 16-year-old Dimple. Not just that, till date Anju remains fond of Khanna.

Mumtaz, in an interview with Vickey Lalwani, said, “I wish I was involved with him, but I wasn’t. I missed the boat, I’d say. I’ve denied this a 1000 times, but if people keep insisting that there was something between us, all I can do is say, ‘I wish…’”

She added, “Anju was a very good host. When I got married, my husband and I would go to their house, and they’d be very generous as hosts. They’d drink, Kaka would drink… I knew that they loved each other very much. In fact, I was surprised when I learnt that he’d left her and gotten married (to Dimple Kapadia). I didn’t expect it at all.”

She emphasised that if today Rajesh had been alive, he would have stayed with Anju. Mumtaz said, “Even today, I’d say that Kaka might have still been alive had he stayed with Anju. She looked after him like he was a flower. Even when he was ill, she always used to be in the bungalow. She always used to look after him—his food, his ‘dawai-daaru’. She was a wonderful person. But you can’t escape destiny.”

Revealing about Anju’s condition when Kaka decided to marry Dimple, Mumtaz said, “I asked her, and she said, ‘I don’t know. I was at a party, and the next thing I know is that he had decided to get married’. She’s a proud woman, she’s very happy. It didn’t bother her that her boyfriend of so many years had left her. She didn’t want to mope over him. She must’ve been hurt, of course, but it wasn’t like she was howling in grief.”