New Delhi:
There was one unexpected face at the prayer meet for late actor Rajesh Khanna on Saturday.
Among the famous friends and well wishers who had gathered, Anju Mahendroo stood out, dressed in white, sunglasses atop her pulled back hair.
A model, fashion designer and actress, Ms Mahendroo was famously Mr Khanna's girlfriend for seven years, from 1966 to 1972. They broke up very acrimoniously, and Mr Khanna married the 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia the next year, six months before her blockbuster film Bobby released.
Rumour says Mr Khanna went out of his way to sabotage Ms Mahendroo's career after their relationship ended. It's certainly true that she never graduated to leading roles, despite being "discovered" by lyricist Kaifi Azmi and had a debut role in director Basu Bhattacharya's Uski Kahani in 1966, the same year in which Mr Khanna appeared in his first film Aakhri Khat. Mr Khanna and Ms Mahendroo did not speak for the next 17 years.
Anju Mahendroo carved a niche as a character actress in films like Jewel Thief and on TV. She last appeared as a journalist in The Dirty Picture, opposite Vidya Balan.
Among the famous friends and well wishers who had gathered, Anju Mahendroo stood out, dressed in white, sunglasses atop her pulled back hair.
A model, fashion designer and actress, Ms Mahendroo was famously Mr Khanna's girlfriend for seven years, from 1966 to 1972. They broke up very acrimoniously, and Mr Khanna married the 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia the next year, six months before her blockbuster film Bobby released.
Rumour says Mr Khanna went out of his way to sabotage Ms Mahendroo's career after their relationship ended. It's certainly true that she never graduated to leading roles, despite being "discovered" by lyricist Kaifi Azmi and had a debut role in director Basu Bhattacharya's Uski Kahani in 1966, the same year in which Mr Khanna appeared in his first film Aakhri Khat. Mr Khanna and Ms Mahendroo did not speak for the next 17 years.
Anju Mahendroo carved a niche as a character actress in films like Jewel Thief and on TV. She last appeared as a journalist in The Dirty Picture, opposite Vidya Balan.
