Rajesh Khanna 31 years old when he married a younger, 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia in 1973. She left acting after marriage despite a big hit like ‘Bobby’ as her debut. After having two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, the duo separated. However, they never officially divorced. He moved out of her house in 1982 and they lived separately, until he died. Before his death, Rajesh Khanna was living with his wife Anita Advani who filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking recognition of his relationship with her. However, on April 1, 2026, the Bombay High Court dismissed Anita Advani’s appeal seeking to recognize her live-in relationship with the late actor as a valid marriage. The court observed that the relationship had “the nature 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 spoke about his case and relationship with Khanna. She also claimed that Rajesh Khanna asked Dimple for divorce many 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. Civil laws are different. Relationship in the nature of marriage maanga maine toh kehte hai asawa 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 the civil laws are different. I sought to be recognized as a ‘relationship of the nature of marriage,’ but they said I was not a wife. The law that recognizes a ‘relationship in the nature of marriage’ includes not only a live-in partner, but also a sister and a mother). He 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 kahihin ka nahi rehta. Naa toh woh saath reh rahe the aur naahi divorce kar rahe the. Divorce kitna maanga, nahi here. Ab woh ka na rahe. Aur maang itni thi ke divorce dena bhi hai toh sab kuch hamare naam kardo. (Some people say that the relationship is valid, and that if a person is still legally married and living with their spouse, they cannot have a relationship with another. But what if the spouse has left the house and they have not had a relationship for many years? Then something new comes into human life. That person ends up in total ruin because they have no legal status. They did not live together and did not divorce. He has asked for a divorce many times, but it was never granted. In the end, he was left in limbo. And the demand is that if they grant the divorce, everything must be transferred to their name). Anita added that Rajesh Khanna had earlier said in an interview that Dimple did not give him a divorce. The bola interview bhi mein ke main divorce dena chaahta hu, kitni baar bola hai par woh dete nahi hai. How about a wife, please? 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 is not an easy person 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 wants a divorce. He has said it many times, but they won’t give it to him. What kind of wife does that? A wife and children should live together—otherwise, why break up the home? But here they live separately. There is nothing like husband and wife between them. He asked for a divorce at least ten times, but the condition is never given if they separate. their name. Since he still has a relationship with me, he is not an easy person, then why is there a law if it does not protect such a relationship.” Rajesh Khanna died in 2012.
