Rajesh Khanna he was 31 years old when he married a 16-year-old girl Dimple Kapadia in 1973. She quit acting after getting married despite a big hit like ‘Bobby’ as her debut. After having two daughters, Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, the duo parted ways. Although they never officially divorced. She moved out of his home in 1982 and they lived apart until he died. Before his death, Rajesh Khanna was living with his partner Anita Advani, who had filed a suit in the Bombay High Court seeking recognition of her relationship with him. However, on 1 April 2026, the Bombay High Court dismissed Anita Advani’s appeal seeking to recognize her cohabitation relationship with the late actor as a valid marriage. The court observed that the relationship was “in the nature of a cohabitation relationship”, which did not satisfy the tests for a valid marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act.Now, in a recent interview, Advani has spoken about his case and his relationship with Khanna. He also claimed that Rajesh Khanna asked for divorce from Dimple many times but she refused to give. Anita said in an interview with Meri Saheli, “Mera case hai woh Hindu Marriage Law pe chala gaya hai jisse mera lena dena nahi hai. Yahan se civil mein bhej diya. Civil laws are different. Relationship in the nature of marriage maanga maine toh kehte hai wife nahi hai. Yeh joh law banaa hai, ‘relationship in the nature of marriage’ usmein cohabitation with partner bhi aati hai, sister bhi aati hai, mother bhi aati hai’ (“My case was dealt with under the Hindu Marriage Act, which has nothing to do with my situation. From there, it was moved to the civil court because the civil laws are different. I sought recognition as a “relationship in the nature of marriage” but was told that I am not a wife. The law recognizing a “relationship in the nature of marriage” includes not only a cohabiting partner, but also a sister and a mother). He further added, “Koi relationship kehta hai sahi hai aur agar kisi ki wife ho aur woh uske saath reh rahe ho toh aap kisi aur ke saath relationship nahi banaa sakte. Lekin aap chale gaye ghar chhodke, aapka saalon tak Rishta nai hai, uske baad koi life mein aata.” Woh insaan ko aap barbaar kardete hai ke woh kahin ka nahi rehta. Naa toh woh saath reh rahe the aur naahi divorce kar rahe the. Divorce kitna maanga, nahi diya. Ab woh kahin ka na rahe. Aur maang itni thi ke divorce dena bhi hai toh sab kuch hamare naam kardo. (Some people say that the relationship was valid and that if someone is still legally married and living with their spouse, they cannot have a relationship with someone else. But what if the spouse has left home and hasn’t been in a relationship for years? Then someone new enters that person’s life. This person ends up completely ruined because he is left without legitimacy. They neither lived together nor divorced. He asked for divorce so many times but it was never granted. In the end, he was left in limbo. And the requirement was that if they were to divorce everything had to be transferred to his name). Anita further said that Rajesh Khanna had earlier said in an interview that Dimple was not divorcing him. Bola bhi tha interview mein ke main divorce dena chaahta hu, kitni baar bola hai par woh dete nahi hai. Aisi kaunsi wife, do you want pataa? Wife aur bacche saath mein rehti ho..toh ghar kyun tode. Divorce 10 baar maanga magar nahi diya, unki maang itni thi ke agar divorce dena hai toh sab kuch hamare naam kardo. Uski’s wife thi toh isiliye tumhare saath relationship nai ho raha. Woh akela ho gaya aur apni life woh de raha hai, he was not an easy man but unka koi saath aur agar unka koi saath de raha hai toh law banaa kyun hai? Bohot asamanjhas wali baat hai. (He even said in interviews that he wanted a divorce. He said it many times, but they did not give it. What kind of wife does that? The wife and children are supposed to live together, otherwise, why break up the house? But here they lived separately. There was nothing like husband and wife between them. He asked for a divorce at least ten times, but the condition was never granted if they divorced ten times. everything had to be put in his name Since he was still in a relationship with me, he could not be recognized. Rajesh Khanna died in 2012.