Rajesh Khanna was 31 when he married a much younger, 16-year old Dimple Kapadia in 1973. She left acting after marriage despite a huge hit like ‘Bobby’ as her debut. After having two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, the duo separated. Though, they never officially got divorced. She moved out of his house in 1982 and they lived separately, till he passed away. Before he passed away, Rajesh Khanna was living with his partner Anita Advani who had filed a plea in Bombay High Court seeking recognition of her relationship with him. However, On April 1, 2026, the Bombay High Court dismissed Anita Advani’s appeal seeking to recognise her live-in relationship with the late actor as a valid marriage. The court observed that the relationship held the “character of a live-in relationship,” which did not satisfy the tests for a valid marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act.Now in a recent interview, Advani has spoken about her case and relationship with Khanna. She also claimed that Rajesh Khanna asked for divorce from Dimple many a times, but she refused to give. Anita said in an interview with Meri Saheli, “Mera case hai woh Hindu Marriage Law pe chala gaya hai jisse mera lena dena nahi hai. Yahan se civil mein bhej diya. Laws of civil are different. Relationship in the nature of marriage maanga maine toh kehte hai wife nahi hai. Yeh joh law banaa hai, ‘relationship in the nature of marriage’ usmein live-in partner bhi aati hai, sister bhi aati hai, mother bhi aati hai’ (“My case was treated under the Hindu Marriage Law, which has nothing to do with my situation. From there, it was transferred to the civil court because civil laws are different. I sought recognition as a ‘relationship in the nature of marriage,’ but they said I am not a wife. The law that recognizes a ‘relationship in the nature of marriage’ includes not just a live-in partner, but also a sister and a mother).”. She further added, “Koi kehta hai relationship sahi hai aur agar kisi ki wife ho aur woh uske saath reh rahe ho toh aap kisi aur ke saath relationship nahi banaa sakte. Lekin aap chale gaye ghar chhodke, aapka saalon tak Rishta nai hai, uske baad koi aata hai unki life mein. Woh insaan ko aap barbaar kardete hai ke woh kahin ka nahi rehta. Naa toh woh saath reh rahe the aur naahi divorce kar rahe the. Divorce kitna maanga, nahi diya. Ab woh kahin ka na rahe. Aur maang itni thi ke divorce dena bhi hai toh sab kuch hamare naam kardo. (Some people say the relationship was valid, and that if someone is still legally married and living with their spouse, they cannot have a relationship with someone else. But what if the spouse has left the home and they haven’t had any relationship for years? Then someone new comes into that person’s life. That person ends up being completely ruined because they are left with no legal standing. They were neither living together nor getting divorced. He asked for a divorce so many times, but it was never granted. In the end, he was left in limbo. And the demand was that if they were to grant the divorce, everything had to be transferred in their name).” Anita further said that Rajesh Khanna had said earlier in an interview that Dimple wasn’t giving him divorce. Bola bhi tha interview mein ke main divorce dena chaahta hu, kitni baar bola hai par woh dete nahi hai. Aisi kaunsi wife, pataa nahi? Wife aur bacche saath mein rehti ho..toh ghar kyun tode. Divorce 10 baar maanga magar nahi diya, unki maang itni thi ke agar divorce dena hai toh sab kuch hamare naam kardo. Uski wife thi toh isiliye tumhare saath relationship nai ho raha. Woh akela ho gaya aur apni life woh de raha hai, he wasn’t an easy man but unka koi saath aur agar unka koi saath de raha hai toh law banaa kyun hai? Bohot asamanjhas wali baat hai. (He even said in interviews that he wanted a divorce. He said it many times, but they wouldn’t give it. What kind of wife does that? A wife and children are supposed to live together—otherwise, why break up the home? But here they were living separately. There was nothing like husband and wife between them. He asked for a divorce at least ten times, but it was never granted. The condition was that if they agreed to the divorce, everything had to be put in their name. Because he still had a wife, they kept saying a relationship with me couldn’t be recognized. He ended up all alone and was simply trying to live his life. He wasn’t an easy man, but if someone chose to stand by him, then why does the law exist if it doesn’t protect such a relationship? It’s a very contradictory and confusing situation).” Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012.
