Kanwaljit Singh recalls 'never being found of Osho', says he met Vinod Khanna after he left Rajneesh: 'He had gravitas, could have been pretentious'

Actor Kanwaljit Singh recently expressed his lack of admiration for Osho, asserting that he offered nothing original and merely echoed ideas he had absorbed from other sources.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | Updated: February 18, 2025 11:53 AM IST

3 min read

Actor Kanwaljit Singh recently expressed his lack of admiration for Osho, asserting that he offered nothing original and merely echoed ideas he had absorbed from other sources.

At the peak of his career, Vinod Khanna left the film industry and joined spiritual leader Osho Rajneesh in the US in the '80s. (Express archive photos)

Renowned actor-producer Vinod Khanna’s decision to leave the film industry at the height of his career and join spiritual leader Osho Rajneesh in the US in the ’80s caused a significant commotion in Bollywood, shocking both industry professionals and moviegoers alike. Osho, in turn, gained even more widespread fame following Khanna’s association with his ashram. However, actor Kanwaljit Singh recently expressed his lack of admiration for the self-proclaimed godman, asserting that Osho offered nothing original and merely echoed ideas he had absorbed from other sources.

While Singh admitted he hasn’t extensively read Osho’s works, he recalled visiting the spiritual leader’s ashram during his time at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, as Osho was widely known at the time. “I have been to the ashram a couple of times, but I have never been fond of him. He kept repeating things like what Krishnamurti (Jiddu Krishnamurti) said, but he never accepted it. Whatever he read, he taught others. In my opinion, in contrast to philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Immanuel Kant, Plato or Socrates, there was nothing original in Osho’s teachings,” Singh said during a conversation with the YouTube channel Hindi Rush.

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Acknowledging that Osho was, however, an excellent salesman, Singh added, “He worded things very well. I used to go to JJ School of Art to listen to Krishnamurti. Interestingly, Osho’s people would also come there. Upon noticing, Krishnamurti would scold them saying, ‘Why are you here? You are already conditioned.’ After stepping out of that, I was introduced to Nietzsche, where I stayed for quite some time. Now I don’t belong anywhere.”

Singh also recalled meeting Vinod Khanna after his return from Osho’s religious commune in the US. “I didn’t know him (Khanna) that well, but I met him once. He definitely had gravitas at that time. I don’t know if that was pretentious or not. However, followers often develop a sense of gravitas because they firmly believe their teacher’s words are true and that knowledge is being imparted to them,” he observed.

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