Anita Advani recalls Rajesh Khanna’s reunion with Anju Mahendru: ‘They would laugh’

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 24, 2026 10:18 PM IST Rajesh Khanna with Anju Mahendru. (Photo: Anju Mahendru/Instagram)When Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated, it was Anita Advani who became the actor’s closest companion. She lived with him at his iconic bungalow, Aashirwad, for over a decade until his death in 2012. Claiming she had known Rajesh even before his 1973 marriage to Dimple, Anita often described herself as his “surrogate wife”, saying she managed both his household and his personal life. But before Anita and Dimple—there was Anju Mahendru, Rajesh Khanna’s longtime girlfriend. During their relationship, Anju was a constant presence in his life and even managed his home. Although the couple parted ways bitterly after Rajesh married Dimple, they reconciled years later fo