Why Rajesh Khanna, Anju Mahendru Broke Up

When Rajesh Khanna was a superstar in the early 1970s, female fans would write letters in blood to him. But the man himself had eyes only for one woman: His girlfriend Anju Mahendru.

While we have seen many love stories bloom in Bollywood, many have remained unfulfilled.

In the Valentine's Day week, Dinesh Raheja looks at the many love stories that just didn't work out.

We start with Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru's love story that almost reached the altar, before they fell apart.

Anju Mahendru: The Woman Rajesh Khanna Loved

When Rajesh Khanna was a superstar in the early 1970s, female fans would write letters in blood to him. But the man himself had eyes only for one woman: His girlfriend Anju Mahendru.

They were together for seven hectic years.

Anju had been briefly engaged to legendary cricketer Gary Sobers in 1967 but then got serious about Rajesh Khanna, who was struggling amidst several flops. Anju herself had acted as one of the glamour girls in Jewel Thief and in Uski Roti, but her budding career got sidelined once Rajesh Khanna became a phenomenon.

Their love survived the frenzy surrounding Rajesh's upsurge in popularity, but their antithetical temperaments resulted in repeated conflicts. It seems Rajesh Khanna wanted someone more of a housewife while Anju was a modern miss (paradoxically, like all of Khanna's women) with a busy social life and independent views.

Why Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru split

The final split came when a miffed Rajesh proposed to 16-year-old newcomer Dimple Kapadia and quickly married her in March 1973 (six months before the release of Bobby). Reportedly, his baraat's route passed outside Anju's house.

Anju didn't talk to Rajesh for 17 years.

After their eventual rapprochement, they stayed close for the last two decades of his life. Rarely does unfulfilled love morph into such genuine friendship.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff