When Anita Advani claimed that Rajesh Khanna married her ‘privately’: ‘He applied sindoor, gave me a mangalsutra’ | Bollywood News

4 min readMumbaiApr 1, 2026 07:56 PM On Wednesday, The Bombay High Court, dismissed a plea filed actor Anita Advani, who had sought legal recognition of her relationship with late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna as a “marriage.” As reported The Indian Express, a single-judge bench led Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh upheld a 2017 ruling the Dindoshi Civil Court in Mumbai, which had earlier rejected Anita’s suit. Challenging that decision, Anita had moved the High Court. During the proceedings, the court also heard submissions from lawyers representing Rajesh’s estranged wife Dimple Kapadia, daughter Twinkle Khanna, and son-in-law Akshay Kumar, before ultimately dismissing the first appeal.
‘He applied sindoor’: Anita Advani
Anita’s legal battle over her relationship with Rajesh has spanned nearly 14 years. Central to her case was the claim that their relationship amounted to a marriage. In an interview with Meri Saheli last year, Anita reiterated her claim that she and Rajesh had privately married. “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 also described the ceremony in detail, “We had a small temple in our home. I had a mangalsutra made, gold with black beads. He made me wear it. Then he applied sindoor and said, ‘From today, you are my responsibility.’ That’s how our wedding happened one night, just like that.”

‘He would hit me sometimes’: Anita Advani
In the same interview, Anita said her relationship with Rajesh began before he met Dimple, though they did not marry at the time because she was very young. She also claimed that she observed fasts for him during Karva Chauth. At the same time, she also alleged that the relationship was at times marked violence, saying she would retaliate when he hit her. Speaking on the YouTube channel Avanti Films, she said, “But he would sometimes hit me. So I would hit him back. That was my reflex action. He would complain that my nail cut him.”
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In another chat with Rediff, she further alleged that Rajesh would become abusive after drinking: “He told me ‘even if I am wrong, just keep quiet’. Anything could upset him. It was like he had to get angry; the reasons were never important or logical. It was really difficult. When he was drunk, he would even hurt me sometimes. But when he was not drunk, he was the best person to be around.”
Rajesh Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in 1973, but the couple separated within a decade. Although they never reconciled, they also did not formally divorce. According to Anita Advani, Rajesh Khanna later lived with her and continued to do so until his death in 2012.Story continues below this ad
DISCLAIMER: This article highlights sensitive personal narratives, including claims of domestic dress and emotional hardship, for informational purposes. The views and allegations expressed are those of the individuals involved and do not constitute legal or professional advice.
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