Even after 14 years since Rajesh Khanna’s death, Anita Advani is still fighting a legal battle to get a name for her live-in relationship with the late superstar. On April 1, 2026, the Bombay High Court dismissed the plea of Anita Advani, who was seeking the legal status of marriage with Rajesh Khanna. Recent developments in the case bring back all the attention on Rajesh Khanna’s live-in relationship with Anita Advani, and her fight with his wife, Dimple Kapadia and his daughter, Twinkle Khanna and Rinki Khanna.
Anita Advani’s plea to get her relationship with Rajesh Khanna recognised as a marriageÂ
After Rajesh Khanna’s death in 2012, Anita Advani had to fight a legal battle to get herself recognised as his partner after the family demolished his home, Aashirwad, in Mumbai. Now, a bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh heard the arguments of Anita Advani and the other party involving Dimple Kapadia, Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar. After hearing the arguments, the judge dismissed the plea on the matter. However, the detailed order on the matter is yet to be issued.
Anita Advani and Rajesh Khanna’s live-in relationship
Anita Advani was rumoured to be in a relationship with Rajesh Khanna for a long time. They used to live together, despite Rajesh Khanna being legally married to Dimple Kapadia. However, Anita repeatedly asserted that Dimple Kapadia had abandoned him long ago during his downfall. But after his death, the family wanted to take control of his fortune.Â
In an interview with Reel Meet Real, Anita claimed that Dimple left Rajesh Khanna in 1982, and for a straight 30 years, she had no connection with him. Rajesh Khanna had been through the toughest phase, having lost all his fortune and connections. She claimed that he was stuck because he didn’t get a divorce and remained trapped. She was quoted as saying:
“She (Dimple) had left him in 1982, and for 30 years, she had no connection with him. He had already lost everything by then; everyone had left him. He was stuck in between. He wasn’t even getting a divorce, so he remained trapped. No divorce, no resolution.”
Anita Advani claimed Rajesh Khanna ‘secretly’ married her
Anita Advani also claimed that Rajesh Khanna had secretly married her by putting sindoor in her maang, and they were together for a decade before his death. However, these claims were dismissed by Rajesh Khanna’s legally married wife, Dimple Kapadia. She denied that Anita was in a live-in relationship with the superstar. In an interview with Vickey Lalwani, Anita said:
“We got married privately, but in the film industry, no one talks about such things openly. Everyone says ‘we’re friends’ or ‘we’re in a relationship’ or something else. But it was already reported in the media that I was with him, so neither of us felt the need to go and publicly announce that we were married. We never felt that need.”
Anita Advani claimed that Rajesh Khanna’s legal wife, Dimple, had thrown her out of his home, Aashirwaad
Anita Advani filed a domestic violence case against Dimple Kapadia and her daughters, Twinkle Khanna and Rinkie Khanna. She claimed that she was forcibly thrown out of Rajesh Khanna’s residence after his death and denied the right to enter it. In fact, she also went on to claim that the family had stationed bouncers to stop her from attending his final rites.Â
After this, in 2013, Anita approached the court and filed a Domestic Violence Act in 2012 against Dimple Kapadia and her daughters. She demanded financial support and residential rights, claiming that she was Rajesh Khanna’s live-in partner and was dependent on him. She went on to say that she was wrongfully evicted from the house. She said:
“I didn’t complain about them till the time they were nice to me. But I went through a lot of humiliation and insult and I will fight for it. The way they treated me is nothing but domestic violence. Akshay and Dimple think that they can buy justice with money, but everything can’t be bought. Now, they don’t even try to get in touch with me.”
However, Dimple Kapadia maintained her stance and never talked about Anita Advani and her claim of being in a relationship with Rajesh Khanna.
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