Vinod Khanna came to Osho as he was struggling with marital problems, says Ma Anand Sheela: ‘He was big star but was just another sanyasi for me’

Ma Anand Sheela, who served under Osho Rajneesh, recalled Vinod Khanna's time at the ashram.

New Delhi | April 5, 2025 01:56 PM IST

3 min read

Vinod Khanna quit acting to become disciple of Osho.

Vinod Khanna was at the peak of his career when he decided to quit acting and become a disciple of Osho, then known as Rajneesh, in the early 1980s. He moved to Rajneeshpuram, Osho’s religious community in Oregon, US. At the same time, Sheela Ambalal Patel, popularly known as Ma Anand Sheela was working with Rajneesh and interacted with the Bollywood star at the commune. Now, in a new interview, she has claimed that Vinod was struggling with his marriage with Geetanjali Khanna. She also hinted that he might be struggling with alcohol

Talking to Pinkvilla, Ma Anand Sheela recalled seeing Vinod Khanna at the commune and shared, “He was a big star but for me he was just another Sanyasi.” She then quipped, “I was a bigger celebrity there.” Speaking further about Vinod, Ma Anand Sheela said, “He had everything back home, but he wasn’t happy. On top of that, he consumed alcohol. It is a bad combination: Unhappiness and alcohol. Marital problems are very prevalent in the world. They can make or break someone.”

When asked if Vinod Khanna was going through marital problems, she quickly replied, “I think that was his struggle from what I could understand.” When asked if being around Osho helped him, she said, “I never asked him if he found peace at the Ashram.”

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Speaking about his decision to join Osho, Vinod Khanna previously told Simi Garewal in an interview, “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.”

Vinod Khanna was in Oregon for five years. After the collapse of Rajneeshpuram, he returned to India and came back to acting. After his return, he divorced his wife and five years later, he married Kavita Daftary. Vinod Khanna passed away in 2017 at age 70.

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