Anita Advani, who was close to Bollywood legend Rajesh Khanna in his later years, has opened up about what life was like with the superstar. The actor's alleged girlfriend recalled how the actor often struggled with mood swings and irritation.
Speaking to Meri Saheli, Anita Advani shared that she began living with Rajesh Khanna in 2000.
“He was very quiet at that point, but after a few drinks, he used to get aggressive and angry. I don't think it was frustration over his career, but he would just be irritated by little things, and anything said by anyone could send him over the edge," she said.
Anita said Rajesh Khanna carried a lot of baggage, and the decline of his career often left him frustrated and angry.
She shared, “He was just venting at that point because he had a lot of baggage with him. It had to be vented out somewhere, and no one saw stardom similar to him; he was at the peak. But when you go down from there, you naturally become frustrated and angry."
According to Anita Advani, the superstar himself admitted he needed someone to let it out on.
“Psychologically speaking, he just wanted a channel to let everything out. He used to tell me, ‘Who am I going to fight with if I don't fight with you?' When he used to fight, he used to get irritated by something as simple as me saying that his room was dirty, and then he used to say, ‘Haan ham hi hai dirty, tum hi keval saaf ho‘ (Yes, I am the one who is dirty; you're the only one who is clean). He never used to physically attack me, but he used to playfully hit me when I used to say or do anything wrong, but he was never violent," she said.
Anita Advani stated that their relationship had its ups and downs.
“We used to fight a lot, and I can't even count the number of times we had an argument. I used to write a diary, and I used to think that I only wrote about having arguments with him. I used to run away to my sister's place, and I would refuse to pick up his phone," she added.
She also mentioned that Rajesh Khanna always found a way to make up.
“Then he used to send a member of his staff, who used to bring a big hamper with a small note. I used to send it back without accepting anything from the hamper or reading the letter. Then, after a few days of him making it up to me, I used to give in and go back to him, because even I used to miss him," Anita added.
For those who don't know, Rajesh Khanna married actress Dimple Kapadia in 1973. The two had daughters, Twinkle and Rinke, before parting ways in 1984.
After his fight with cancer, Rajesh Khanna died on July 18, 2012, at his Mumbai residence.
