How Feroz Khan’s rumoured affair with royal air hostess Jyotika Dhanrajgir ended his marriage | Bollywood News

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 27, 2026 07:30 PM Feroz Khan is widely remembered as one of Hindi cinema’s earliest style icons. Known for his suave personality and flamboyant lifestyle, the actor-director was often described his co-stars as a charmer who enjoyed immense popularity among women. Over the years, he was linked to several actresses, including Mumtaz. However, none of those rumours attracted as much attention as his reported extra-marital relationship with royal air hostess Jyotika Dhanrajgir—a relationship that, according to several accounts, ultimately led to the breakdown of his marriage with wife Sundari Khan.
When Feroz Khan fell for Sundari
Feroz Khan met Sundari at a party in the early 1960s. Sundari, a divorcee and mother to a daughter, reportedly caught the actor’s attention instantly. After dating for nearly five years, the couple married in 1965 and later welcomed two children, Laila Khan and Fardeen Khan. Their marriage remained stable for several years before reportedly hitting turbulence in the mid 1970s, when Feroz frequently travelled to Bengaluru for work.
When Feroz Khan met Jyotika Dhanrajgir
It was during one of these trips that he is said to have met Jyotika Dhanrajgir, an air hostess who belonged to Hyderabad’s erstwhile royal Dhanrajgir family. According to reports, the two began a relationship that lasted for more than a decade. Several reports also claim that Feroz eventually moved out of his family home and spent considerable time at his Bengaluru farmhouse, where he reportedly lived with Jyotika for a period, despite still being legally married to Sundari.
During their relationship, Jyotika is believed to have expressed her desire to marry Feroz several times. However, he allegedly kept postponing the decision. then, his marriage to Sundari had reportedly reached a breaking point, with the latter deciding to walk away from the relationship.
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The relationship with Jyotika, however, also did not last. According to media reports, she eventually ended the relationship after realising marriage was unlikely. She later moved abroad and largely stayed away from the public eye.
Although Feroz Khan never directly addressed the rumours surrounding Jyotika Dhanrajgir, he once spoke about his public image in an interview with a film magazine.Story continues below this ad
“I was quite a Casanova when I was a bachelor and was often spotted at clubs and parties with the most gorgeous women of Bollywood. I treat women with the respect that is due to them and this explains my large number of female friends. Unfortunately, I was branded as a womaniser some people.”
Following the end of his relationship with Jyotika, Feroz reportedly returned to his family. However, the reconciliation did not last, and he and Sundari officially divorced in 1985.
‘There was nobody else in our lives’
Speaking about their separation, Feroz Khan insed there had been no third person in their marriage. “There were no fights and there was nobody else in our lives—we just grew apart.”
Sundari, however, offered a different perspective in a later interview, recalling the difficult period when she decided to leave the marriage. “I can say I became independent only when my back was against the wall. It was an overnight decision. I packed my bags and moved downstairs. Feroz and I lived under the same roof. The only difference was that he was most of the time away in Bangalore with his new lady. It took me nearly a year to adjust to the emotional upheaval and to the solitude. I missed the life of a wife but not the life of Mrs Khan.”Story continues below this ad
She also acknowledged that despite the separation, Feroz ensured she and their children were financially secure.
“My walking out was a bit of a shock to Feroz. He must have thought, like a typical husband, and wondered where I would go at this stage with the kids. But I must give him credit for giving me and the kids a decent home and life. Today, I’ve reached a point where I am actually enjoying my business.”
Following the divorce, Sundari reportedly established her own interior designing business and rebuilt her life independently.
Sundari and Feroz Khan didn’t speak for 25 years?
According to a Mumbai Mirror report journal Subhash K Jha, Feroz Khan and Sundari remained estranged after their divorce. “It may be recalled that Feroz and Sundari had been divorced in 1985 and were not on talking terms with each other for the past 25 years.”Story continues below this ad
Despite their estrangement, Sundari attended Feroz Khan’s funeral in Bengaluru after his death in 2009. Accompanied their children, she also stayed for the overnight wake, where family members and close friends gathered to remember the actor, bringing a poignant end to one of Bollywood’s most talked-about relationships.
Disclaimer: This article is based on previously published media reports and public accounts for informational and entertainment purposes only, and does not constitute verified factual claims.