The late Rajesh Khanna’s ‘lady love’ Anita Advani, who reportedly had a long-standing live-in relationship with the megastar at his Bandra bungalow Aashirwad, is extremely upset, hearing the buzz about the latemegastar’s bungalow being renamed Vardaan.
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“If the rumours are true, it would hurt Kakaji’s (Rajesh Khanna’s) soul,” quipped Anita Advani, adding that “Aashirwad is synonymous with Rajesh Khanna”.
She particularly found the name-change talks upsetting, as she said, the name Aashirwad was given to the bungalow by Rajesh Khanna’s father.
“Kakaji used to fondly remember and tell me how the bungalow was named Aashirwad. When they were looking for a new name for the bungalow, his father had thought for a long time and then suggested the name Aashirwad. Kakaji has mentioned that his father said, ‘You’ll be a star and people will write letters and fan mail to you. Whenever they write your name on the letters, they will write the words – Rajesh Khanna Aashirwad. So in a way, they would always be giving you their Aashirwad (blessings).’ That was the lovely thought behind the name,” reminisced Anita Advani.
Remembering her years with the megastar, Advani remarked, “Kakaji used to say that this (Aashirwad) was the ‘most favourite’ name given by his father. The bungalow was also his most prized possession, which he wished to convert into a museum and his last wish should be fulfilled. In fact, together, over the years, we both designed its interiors with a long-term plan to convert it into a museum.”
Advani further added that she was “perturbed by the sudden name-change talks. What sense does it make? If it’s true, it’s a weird move and doesn’t sound nice.”
Reacting to claims about her asking for a stake in Aashirwad, Advani’s spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar stated, “It’s false that Ms Advani has claimed a stake in the bungalow. But she has maintained that Mr Rajesh Khanna wished to turn it into a museum for his loving fans.”
