Mumbai, July 20: A controversy has begun over a move to evict Rajesh Khanna's live-in partner Anita Advani from the iconic bungalow Aashirwaad on Carter Road, Bandra.
The cold war brewing between Anita Advani and the Khanna clan threatened to spill out into public view during Kaka's funeral procession on Thursday.
MidDay quoted a source saying, “During the procession that started from the actor's home, Advani attempted to climb into the vehicle carrying Kaka's body. However, Akshay [Kumar] spotted Advani and asked her to get off, as the vehicle was only for family members.”
Kaka's family members have always shared an uneasy relationship with Anita Advani.
Their history with Kaka too has been chequered and fraught with bitterness.
Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Kumar, Twinkle and Rinki were reconciled with Khanna in the final stages of his life.
Anita Advani, according to the MidDay report, had sent a legal notice to his family members, a day before Rajesh Khanna breathed his last, opposing the move to evict her from Aashirwaad bungalow.
Anita Advani told MidDay that she has been living in Aashirwad for the past 10 years.
She admitted that only recently, when ‘Kakaji' was slipping in and out of consciousness owing to his debilitating illness, he would sometimes fail to recognise her.
“He had started pushing me away. There were days where he didn't even want to speak to his own family. They began isolating me, and I had begun to feel lost. I sent that notice when I was annoyed… without him, I had nowhere else to go. But I never thought I would actually lose him. The timing was really bad.”
Meanwhile, Aashirwad has been swiftly transformed into a shrine for mourning fans, and there is even talk of its conversion into a museum.
Anita Advani sent the notice to the Khanna family members invoking the Domestic Violence Act.
Section 19 of the Act bars the family from ‘dispossessing or in any other manner disturbing the possession of the aggrieved person from the shared household, whether or not the respondent has a legal or equitable interest in the shared household'.
A source said, “For the last one month, the family has been trying to oust Advani from the house, where she claims she has been living with Khanna for the last eight years. This is why she sent the notice.”
Advani sent the notice through her advocate Mridula Kadam.
The story goes that Anita Advani is a niece of former president of Philippines Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, but how Anitra traces this relationship to the Marcops family is a bit of mystery.
The 59-year-old Bandra-based businesswoman, Anita would visit Khanna almost every evening at Aashirwad, on Carter Road for eight years till late last year when the superstar and his estranged wife, Dimple Kapadia, reconciled after his illness was diagnosed. Often, they would also be spotted together travelling to Delhi or elsewhere.
“I am in love with him. Who would not (be)?” Anita had told some reporters at a party held to pay tribute to Meena Kumari in May 2011.
Such candour has been displayed by most women who have shared a romantic relationship with Khanna at some time or the other, on or off the record.
Anita had also said she was a childhood friend of Rajesh Khanna.
Rajesh Khanna once told media that she met Anita almost 30 years ago, when she was in college.
Rajesh had admitted that he was dating her for the last eight years, but has denied that he was in love and was ready to marry her.
The actor had said that marrying at his age didn't make sense and so both of them were happy with the live-in relationship.
Anita had once said: “Kaka is my closest friend, philosopher and guide. I am great friends with him. I have known him for a very long time. He is an intelligent and romantic person and I feel very privileged to be very, very close to him."
Sources close to her said Anita's fondest memories of Kaka are the long walks they took together, the dinners and drives, and just hanging out with him at home before illness took hold of his life.
During his hospitalization, Anita visited the ailing superstar several times, but her visits never raised speculation.
While their relationship was sacred to Anita, Kaka – as is his wont – had a different story to tell.
According to the actor, he knew Anita for close to three decades and though he was fond of her, his affection had not reached the stage of love.
