Veteran actor Rajesh Khanna’s personal and financial struggles have once again come into the limelight, this time through his long-time partner, Anita Advani. In a candid discussion, Advani spoke about the superstar’s turbulent years when his career was at an all-time low, how he had run-ins with tax authorities and officials. She also opened up about his failed marriage with Dimple Kapadia, and their own private relationship that never became public.
Rajesh Khanna’s tax controversy
Rajesh Khanna, widely celebrated as Hindi cinema’s first true superstar, ruled the silver screen in the 1970s with one blockbuster after the other. However, despite super stardom, he struggled financially quite a bit in his later years. Speaking on the YouTube channel Meri Saheli, Advani addressed the rumours that Khanna’s house was sealed due to unpaid dues and that he was forced to live in his office. She denied these claims and gave a peak into what really happened. She stated, “I had heard people say that Rajesh Khanna’s house was sealed and he used to live in his office. This is absolutely wrong; he never lived in his office. The house was never sealed. There was a problem in the Income Tax in 1991.”
What was the income tax dispute?
According to Advani, Rajesh Khanna had little understanding of financial documents and taxes. She described how he placed blind faith in his team’s guidance. “He (Rajesh Khanna) never used to see the documents and he didn’t know what income tax was. Whatever his team would tell him to give, he would give that amount. If he was asked to give one lakh, he would call his CA to ask ‘how many zeros should I put.’ Then tax became overdue and he or his team did not pay attention to it. He didn’t even know that. He didn’t know anything about chartered accountancy, and suddenly, he was asked to pay Rs 45 lakh,” she explained.
When the notice escalated, the actor personally paid a visit to the income tax office. Advani recalled, “Then he got into an argument with an income tax officer. He went to personally meet him. The officer threatened him that he will seal his house and also thwart the release of his film.” She further revealed that Khanna eventually cleared the outstanding sum, making sure that his house was never seized.
Rajesh Khanna’s relationship with Advani
While Khanna had married Dimple Kapadia when she was just 15 and he was 30, the marriage faltered, the two began living separately later. Despite never divorcing Dimple, Khanna got into a relationship with Advani and became the subject of gossip and headlines.
In the podcast, Advani disclosed that they had married secretly but did not make it public. “We got married privately, but in the film industry, no one talks about such things openly. Everyone says ‘we’re friends’ or ‘we’re in a relationship’ or something else. But it was already reported in the media that I was with him, so neither of us felt the need to go and publicly announce that we were married. We never felt that need,” she said.
Rajesh Khanna, who passed away in 2012, left behind a legacy which is still unmatched in Hindi cinema.