Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Fighting over Rajesh Khanna's house

The author looks at how Rajesh Khanna's bungalow, Aashirwad, mirrored the rise and fall of India's first real superstar

Ranjita Ganesan
Last Updated : Aug 02 2014 | 2:29 AM IST
If Anita Advani, who claims to have been Rajesh Khanna's companion in his final years, is to be believed, the late actor once said about his bungalow Aashirwad, "Rs 500 crore mile toh bhi nahi bechunga (I would not sell it even for Rs 500 crore)." This was in response to an offer of Rs 150 crore, she says. He wished to turn the bungalow into a museum and was confident that "the way it is built, it will stand for another 100 years." Two years after his death, the property on Carter Road in Bandra is said to have been sold for Rs 90-95 crore.

It is a price that some hold to be lower than expected, especially for a sea-facing structure on 603 square metres of land in one of Mumbai's toniest localities. Businessman Shashi Kiran Shetty, executive chairman of Allcargo Logistics, is reported to be the buyer and he plans to use it himself. Shetty will be the third high-profile owner of the bungalow, which Khanna had bought for Rs 3.5 lakh from actor Rajendra Kumar in the 1960s. Property rates in Bandra are almost at par with rates in South Mumbai, so the price appears to be low, says Shri Hari, founder of RealEstateDealStreet.com.

Many theories are afloat about the sale value. Some say Aashirwad apparently fetched less since it falls in the coastal regulation zone and there are restrictions on the floor space index. This ruins potential plans of conversion into a high-rise. Rather unconvincingly, a few others suggest the bungalow traded at a discount because it is rumoured to be haunted.

Film journalist Bhawana Somaaya recalls visiting the bungalow during her days as a cub reporter. Such was Khanna's reputation at the time that the assistant editor had even attempted to reason with the editor, "How can you send her to the monster? She's too raw." A nervous Somaaya had finished the interview without taking in much of the house. After several interviews, however, she was invited for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations where the idol was installed in the garage that has since been revamped into a garden.

Considered the first real superstar of Hindi cinema, Khanna was an introverted, brooding and private man. His romantic liasons had notoriously led dejected females fans to slash their wrists or even commit suicide. To reach him over the landline was impossible and required getting past a battery of assistants, says Somaaya. He lived like a king. Even though he was a meagre eater, the table would have a lavish spread and he liked to be served properly, the writer adds.

This was also the bungalow where Dimple Kapadia came as a 16-year-old bride, where their two daughters were born and from where Kapadia walked out subsequently. When his fame declined dramatically, the stories of stardom were replaced by tales of misery. As Malavika Sangghvi noted in a recent column in Business Standard, "One of those stories had him sitting on the terrace, dressed in silk robes, drinking alone and talking to the moon."

After failed relationships, Khanna confined himself to his bedroom and the house was in a state of neglect, says Advani, until she moved in during the early 2000s. While the bungalow has a limited number of bedrooms, they are all spacious. Its first floor was renovated to create a six-seater theatre, a hall-sized bathroom, a jacuzzi and walk-in wardrobes.

Contested by Advani, who has also challenged a will cited by Khanna's family on his death, the sale of the bungalow remains shrouded in controversy. She says the museum he wanted would not comprise memorabilia but the house itself would give people a glimpse into his life. "Akshay Kumar (Rajesh Khanna's son-in-law) had said Kakaji did not mention anything about a museum but that Aashirwad is a family home. What now? It is not even that," says Advani.

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 02 2014 | 12:17 AM IST

Next Story