6 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 9, 2025 11:20 AM IST
The brother of mystic Osho, Swami Shailendra Saraswati, reflected on actor Vinod Khanna’s widely documented stint at Osho’s Rajneeshpuram ashram in the United States. Vinod Khanna had quit at the peak of his career, and had chosen to take ‘sanyaas’ in Osho’s commune. He left behind his wife and two children, Akshaye Khanna and Rahul Khanna. In the interview, Osho’s brother said that the actor confessed that he was missing his family tremendously, and had also expressed a desire to return to them. But when Osho found out about this, he gave Vinod Khanna some advice.
In an interview with Hindi Rush, Osho’s brother was asked about the mental stress that drew celebrities to Osho. He said, “These people are ‘sapno ke saudagar’. They sell dreams to the masses. They are the creators of dreams. But their lives are often not at all like what they project on screen. I can speak about Vinod Khanna, because I was very close to him. Our homes at Rajneeshpuram were right next to each other, coincidentally. I knew him well. He would often express sadness at missing his wife and children to me.”
Also read – When Akshaye Khanna spoke about dad Vinod Khanna’s decision to leave his family and career, take sanyaas: ‘An earthquake has to happen…’
He added, “He used to work as a gardener at Osho’s house, and Osho would observe him. He noticed that Vinod was sad. He asked around about him, and he was told that Vinod was missing his family. Osho said, ‘No, he isn’t missing his family. Tell him to return to India, and go up against Amitabh Bachchan in the elections’. I was surprised to hear this. Vinod Khanna was surprised to hear this. I never thought that he had political ambitions at all. But imagine how farsighted Osho was. He knew what Vinod was going through even though Vinod himself didn’t. He knew that during his time at the ashram, Amitabh Bachchan had taken over Bollywood. Osho said, ‘Tum Bharat jao, aur chunav lado Bachchan ke khilaaf’.
Talking about Osho’s influence over his father’s life, Vinod’s son Akshaye Khanna had told Mid-Day, “To not only leave his family, but to take ‘sanyas’ (renunciation) is a big deal. Sanyas means giving up your life in totality — family is only a part of it. It’s a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time.” (Photo: Express Archive)
Osho’s brother suggested that Vinod was simply trying to deceive himself into thinking that he is a good man for missing his family. But he was actually envious of Amitabh’s success. “Osho was able to gaze inside Vinod Khanna’s soul and identify what was troubling him. There was a wound in his subconscious mind about Amitabh becoming the number one star in his absence, but his conscious mind was pretending that he was upset about his family,” his brother said, adding that Vinod’s initial worries were disproven, because after he returned, he fell in love with another woman and they had children.
In an interview with Simi Garewal, Akshaye Khanna had spoken about his father leaving everything behind to take ‘sanyaas’. He said that he was too young to understand the situation back then, but grew to admire his father’s dedication. “No, I don’t think one can understand at that age. But we had a fair understanding of what the logistics of things were. I don’t remember it ever being explained to me, actually. It was just the way it was. I don’t think anybody explained it to me. I can’t remember. I’m sure someone must have. But I can’t remember… You can’t understand these things at that age… Everybody has their own way of dealing with things, and it’s only now that one truly understands… I certainly don’t think that it was a bad thing or a wrong thing. When a relationship doesn’t serve the people who are involved, I don’t think there’s any reason to continue it, especially if the excuse is for someone else.”
Despite of achieving a huge success within a short span of time, the actor gave it all up to join Osho Rajneesh. (Photo: Express Archive)
In a separate interview with Simi, Vinod had claimed that he was in regular touch with his family even when he was away. Admitting that it was ‘selfish’ of him to leave, he said, ” “I was very much in touch with my family. It’s not that I ran away. I was providing everything.” Explaining his decision to leave, he had said, “My own mind. My mind was thinking too much. I was too hyper. My thoughts were all over the place. I was very angry. I’d reached a saturation point. People can press your buttons and make you react. Everything is not under your control. But I would see that when I meditate, these things weren’t affecting me at all. You have to become the master of your own mind, and these were the things that drove me to say that I’ve had enough, I’ve made enough money… Now, if I want to go deeper into meditation, I have to give my full time to it. I have to live in an ashram, I have to live at the feet of my guru. So, obviously, there was a need within me.”
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After a five-year hiatus from the industry, Vinod Khanna returned to India in the late 1980s, and picked up from where he had left off. He also served in PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet. Bachchan, on the other hand, was close with the Congress’ Gandhi family.
Talking about Osho’s influence over his father’s life, Vinod’s son Akshaye Khanna had told Mid-Day, “To not only leave his family, but to take ‘sanyas’ (renunciation) is a big deal. Sanyas means giving up your life in totality — family is only a part of it. It’s a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time.” (Photo: Express Archive)
Despite of achieving a huge success within a short span of time, the actor gave it all up to join Osho Rajneesh. (Photo: Express Archive)
Vinod Khanna took a hiatus from the film industry for five years.