Throwback to when Dimple Kapadia said Rajesh Khanna was 'consistently misunderstood'

Rajesh Khanna is without doubt one of the biggest film stars to have ever lived in this country. Considered the earliest superstar, Rajesh Khanna’s marriage to Dimple Kapadia has always been a topic of discussion among movie fans, as the superstar married Dimple, a then 16-year-old actor who had just wrapped up her debut project. She quit her acting career immediately after marriage and only returned after over a decade, after the marriage ended. 

“Kaka (Rajesh Khanna) has been consistently misunderstood. He’s a wonderful guy. I was far too young and impetuous when we married. We may have separated, but I still have tremendous regard and love for him. So don’t you dare try to extract any nasty statements from me,” Dimple had said in an old interaction with Khalid Mohamed. She also said that Khanna’s superstardom had to be experienced for one to believe it. 

In another chat with Khalid, the actor had said that she used to be a fan of Khanna and that his image as a romantic was overpowering, which was one of the reasons for her marrying the superstar. She also said that her father had also approved of Khanna and the marriage and this was never the case with her father and her boyfriends before Khanna. She added that Khanna was a “one-way ticket to freedom.”

Dimple has also opened up about her decision to get married at such a young age and revealed that she had second thoughts about it. She further stated that she had a fight with her boyfriend and this was a way of getting back at him and that she was ready to call off the marriage if the boyfriend had phoned her before the wedding. 

Rajesh Khanna and Dimple separated in 1982, two years before Dimple returned to acting. The couple have two kids, Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna. Rajesh Khanna passed away on July 18, 2012 after being diagnosed with cancer.