Rajesh Khanna was among the first superstars of Hindi cinema, but while the highs of Khanna’s career were monumental, his lows were equally steep. Gautam Chintamani’s biography Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna mentions one such incident from the twilight of his career when the actor faced financial constraints. At that time, it was Salman Khan’s younger brother Sohail Khan who expressed interest in buying Khanna’s iconic bungalow, Aashirwad.
As rumours and speculation about Rajesh Khanna’s financial ruin began to circulate, talk also began about the possibility of the actor selling Aashirwad. “For a better part of the early years of the first decade of the new millennium, troubled clouds had taken over almost every small pocket of sunshine in Khanna’s life. His financial state went from bad to worse and there were murmurs that he was finally on the lookout to sell Aashirwad,” an excerpt from the book reads. The book also recounts how a notice from the income tax department — demanding unpaid dues of ‘over a crore and a half rupees’ — further damaged Khanna’s public image and added credibility to the rumours.
During this time, screenwriter Rumi Jaffery received a call from Salman Khan, expressing Sohail Khan’s desire to purchase Aashirwad. To convince Rajesh Khanna to let go of the bungalow, the Khan family extended several lucrative offers. Along with offering to pay any amount for the property, Salman and his family also agreed to settle Khanna’s outstanding income tax dues. On top of that, Salman even offered to act in a Rajesh Khanna production free of cost.
Rumi Jaffery, acting as the messenger, took all these offers and approached Rajesh Khanna. However, the veteran actor’s reaction was far from welcoming. The book recounts Khanna’s response to Rumi’s proposal. The screenwriter recalled in the book, “When Khanna finally spoke, he asked him how he could even think of suggesting such a thing and accused him of stabbing him in his back. ‘Kakaji said, “I consider you a son-in-law aur tu mera ghar bikwana chahta hai… Sadak par lana chahta hai!” I had a tough time explaining that I was merely a postman delivering Sohail Khan’s message.’”
For Rajesh Khanna, Aashirwad was more than just a bungalow—it was a symbol of his superstardom and legacy. He believed it held emotional value not just for him, but also for his fans. The book mentions, “He would often be quoted saying, ‘A king is a king whether on throne or in exile.’” He considered Aashirwad his legacy. “He even mused that he would die some day but Aashirwad would live on forever; and till such time, the world would never forget Rajesh Khanna,” the book notes. Years later, when Rajesh met Sohail Khan, he scolded him for trying to ‘buy him out’ through Jaffery.
Rajesh Khanna continued living in Aashirwad alone, as he and his wife Dimple Kapadia were living separately. He breathed his last in 2011 in the beloved bungalow. Later, an industrialist bought the property and demolished it to make way for a high-rise building.
