Rajesh Khanna lived a life that was as dramatic off-screen as it was on-screen. Married to a teenage Dimple Kapadia at the peak of his stardom, their relationship eventually soured and the two started living separately. Though Rajesh never divorced Dimple, his bond with his alleged girlfriend Anita Advani often made headlines. In a recent interaction, Anita shed light on her years with the actor, his struggles with finances, and their private marriage. ‘Rajesh never lived in his office’Addressing the rumours that Rajesh’s residence was sealed and he was forced to live in his office, Anita dismissed them as false. Speaking to Meri Saheli, she shared, “I had heard people say that Rajesh Khanna’s house was sealed and he used to live in his office. This is absolutely wrong; he never lived in his office. The house was never sealed. There was a problem in the Income Tax in 1991.”Tax dispute of Rs 45 lakhRecounting how the superstar was caught off guard by income tax issues, Anita explained that Rajesh wasn’t hands-on with his finances.“He never used to see the documents and he didn’t know what income tax was. Whatever his team would tell him to give, he would give that amount. If he was asked to give one lakh, he would call his CA to ask ‘how many zeros should I put.’ Then tax became overdue and he or his team did not pay attention to it. He didn’t even know that,” she recalled.
Things came to a head when Rajesh was suddenly asked to pay Rs 45 lakh in overdue taxes. Anita added, “Then he got into an argument with an income tax officer. He went to personally meet him. The officer threatened him that he will seal his house and also thwart the release of his film.” Eventually, Rajesh cleared the dues, ensuring his home was never sealed.‘We married privately’Anita also opened up about her relationship with the superstar, revealing that the two had tied the knot away from the public eye.“We got married privately, but in the film industry, no one talks about such things openly. Everyone says ‘we’re friends’ or ‘we’re in a relationship’ or something else. But it was already reported in the media that I was with him, so neither of us felt the need to go and publicly announce that we were married. We never felt that need,” she said.
