Entertainment
India’s First Superstar Married A 15-Year-Old Fan, Had A Live-In Girlfriend For Years, His Wife Refused To Divorce Him
Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia were one of Bollywood’s most talked-about couples. Rajesh Khanna, often called Hindi cinema’s first superstar, married Dimple Kapadia in 1973 when she was just 16 and fresh off the success of Bobby. Their relationship constantly remained in the spotlight due to their massive fame, age gap, and later marital troubles. Though the two eventually separated, they never officially divorced and continued to share a cordial bond.
Dimple Kapadia was a teenage fan of Rajesh Khanna when he proposed to her in 1973. She was 15. He was 30. She had just been cast in Bobby — the film that would make her a star. He had already been India’s biggest superstar for four years. She later said marrying him was the biggest high of her life.
After the wedding, he asked her to quit films. She did. Bobby released, became a massive hit, won her a Filmfare Award — and she walked away from all of it. Within months the cracks appeared. His career began to fade and he turned alcoholic. His temper worsened. In 1985, Dimple told India Today plainly — “The life and happiness in our house came to an end the day I and Rajesh got married.”
During the rough patch in his marriage, Rajesh fell for Tina Munim. They worked together in over 11 films. The affair became obvious on the sets of Sautan in Mauritius — Dimple heard about it, packed her bags, returned to Mumbai, and never went back to his bungalow Aashirwad.
In his later years, Rajesh Khanna lived with former actress Anita Advani at Aashirwad. She claimed to be his surrogate wife and lived with him for over a decade until his death in 2012, even as he remained legally married to Dimple. Dimple never publicly commented on Anita Advani. She never filed for divorce either.
In a 1990 interview Rajesh Khanna was asked why they hadn’t divorced. He said, “She is not willing to divorce me for reasons best known to her.” Dimple never explained her reasons publicly. She campaigned for him when he entered politics. She spoke kindly about him in every interview. She never bad-mouthed him once.
Rajesh Khanna and Dimple had two daughters — Twinkle, born in 1974, and Rinke, born in 1977. Twinkle shared her birthday with her father. Both followed their parents into films — Twinkle debuted in Barsaat in 1995, Rinke in Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi in 1999. Both quit acting after marriage.
Rajesh Khanna died on 18 July 2012 at his bungalow Aashirwad. Dimple was by his side.