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Vinod Khanna’s birth anniversary: Late Bollywood actor, Vinod Khanna’s life was no less than a film’s story. Vinod Khanna was at the peak of his career when he left everything to follow Osho Rajneesh and started living at Rajneesh’s ashram at Oregon in the US. He was the first actor who took sanyas at the peak of his career. However, his search of spiritual guidance ruined his first marriage.
Vinod Khanna’s early life
Vinod Khanna, who was born on October 6, 1946, was from a business class family which moved from Peshawar to Mumbai after the Partition. Vinod Khanna had a keen interest in science but his father insisted that he pursued commerce. However, destiny had different plans — the world of cinema soon beckoned.
How Vinod Khanna met his first love, Geetanjali Taleyarkhan
It was in the late 1960s when the actor had joined his college’s theatre group where he had met the love of his life, Geetanjali Taleyarkhan. Geetanjali was a model and came from a Parsi family of lawyers and businessmen.
Vinod was charmed by her personality and they soon began to date each other. It was at the same time when Vinod Khanna was spotted by the producer, Sunil Dutt who had offered him his first film, Man Ka Meet. Vinod had made his big debut in 1968 with the movie and had won everyone’s heart. Just after his debut, he had 15 more films lined up.
Two years after he made his debut, he tied the knot. In 1971, Geetanjali and Vinod married with Bollywood’s who’s who in attendance. In 1972, the couple was blessed with their first son, Rahul Khanna while later, in 1975, the family welcomed their second son, Akshaye Khanna.
Not many might know that Vinod Khanna was a complete family man, and never worked on Sundays as he would spend time with his wife and kids. Despite having a huge female fan following, he remained loyal to his wife and kids.
Vinod Khanna’s spiritual journey
But everything changed after Vinod Khanna decided to take the spiritual way. Vinod Khanna’s first wife Geetanjali was left to hold the family together while the world questioned Vinod Khanna’s disappearance and his time with the spiritual guru. Her heartfelt appeals to Vinod to return were met with his decision to prioritise his spiritual journey, leading to significant emotional strain on the family. The emotional toll eventually resulted in their divorce in 1985.
Vinod Khanna’s life after Osha and second marriage
A few years later, when the ashram collapsed, Vinod came back and restarted his career and got in touch with his sons. On his 43rd birthday, Vinod Khanna met the beautiful Kavita Daftary and fell head-over-heels in love with her. On May 15, 1990, the couple had tied the knot. The couple was soon blessed with a son, Sakshi and a daughter, Shraddha. They stayed together until Vinod Khanna passed away in 2017.
Akshaye Khanna on his mother, Geetanjali Taleyarkhan
Vinod Khanna’s son, Akshaye Khanna, has spoken about his mother, Geetanjali Taleyarkhan, highlighting her strength and the emotional toll she faced due to Vinod Khanna’s spiritual pursuits and eventual departure to Osho’s ashram. The physical absence of Vinod Khanna while he was away for years caused strain on their marriage, leading to Geetanjali’s difficult struggle to keep the family together.
Akshaye, who rarely speaks about his personal life, shared, “My mother has been my biggest grounding force. She kept us away from the chaos of fame. Everything I am today — the way I think, the way I approach life — comes from her.”
He also once mentioned that his mother taught him discipline, self-respect, and simplicity, and that both he and Rahul admired her strength after the separation from their father. Geetanjali Taleyarkhan passed away in December 2018 at her home in Alibaug. Reports said she had been feeling uneasy before she collapsed.
Vinod Khanna’s journey remains one of Bollywood’s most fascinating — a tale of passion, spirituality, and redemption.
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