Anita Advani, the live-in partner of late superstar Rajesh Khanna, has opened up about a difficult phase in the actor's life, recalling how he was left isolated when his films stopped performing at the box office.
‘Slowly, everyone left him’
Talking about that period, Anita said, “There was a time when his films were not working. When that happened, even his people started distancing themselves from him.” She added, “Slowly, one by one, everyone left him—friends, family, people around him. No one stood by him.” Drawing attention to the emotional toll it took, she said, “At such times, isn’t that why a person gets married? So that someone stands by you when the world leaves you. But in his case, from all sides... it felt like everyone had turned against him.”
When asked if the industry was actively sidelining the actor, Anita said, “Yes, absolutely. It felt like there was a campaign running against him. People would say, ‘don’t take him’, ‘don’t cast him’.”
Comeback and dedication to craft
Despite the setbacks, Rajesh Khanna staged a comeback with films like Avtaar. Anita recalled hearing about his dedication during that time. Referring to what Shabana Azmi had shared, she said, “He even walked to Vaishno Devi and slept on the ground. He was a very dedicated artist.” She added, “He would take great care of continuity—bringing costumes home so that nothing got disturbed. He was extremely sincere about his work.”
‘I didn’t follow his life after we separated’
Speaking about her own equation with the actor during that period, Anita said, “I wasn’t following his life at that time. Our lives had gone separate ways... I didn’t want unnecessary pain.” Recalling interactions with industry insiders, Anita revealed, “No one had the courage to say anything. If someone did, he would get upset. I don’t think he was in a space to listen either.”
The story behind ‘Kaka Ji’
She also spoke about the origin of his nickname. “In Punjabi families, children are called ‘Kaka’. He was a very pampered child, so everyone started calling him ‘Kaka Ji’,” she said. However, she clarified, “He would say, ‘Why do you call me that? It’s what you call a child.’ He didn’t really like the name.” Despite that, Anita added, “I never called him Rajesh. It just stayed on my tongue.”
