Anju Mahendru is an Indian film and television actor and fashion designer. She had a long-term on-off relationship with legendary Indian actor Rajesh Khanna.
Wiki/Biography
Anju Mahendru aka Anju Mahendroo was born on Friday, January 11, 1946, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (age 76; as of 2022). According to some sources, she was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Childhood photos of Anju Mahendru with mother and sister
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′2″
Hair color: salt and pepper (dyed black/brown)
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
Her mother’s name is Shanti Mahendro. She has a sister named Anu Mahendroo.
Photos of Anju Mahendru’s mother
Anju Mahendru and her sister
husband and children
Anju is married to an Indian businessman named Imtiaz Khan.
other relatives
Legendary Indian music director Madan Mohan is her uncle.
Madan Mohan, uncle of Anju Mahendru
Relationships/Affairs
Rajesh Khanna
In 1966, rumors of her relationship with the famous Indian actor Rajesh Khanna began to spread. At that time, Anju was a struggling actor and Rajesh Khanna had appeared in a few Hindi films. The rumors proved true when her red car was spotted in the parking lot of Rajesh Khanna’s apartment. Soon, the two began making public appearances together. Rajesh even gifted Anju a bungalow. Later, they entered into a live-in relationship. Everything was going well between the two until Rajesh started to feel possessive about Anju. Even while filming, he would call Anru and ask if she was at home. Soon, his behavior begins to affect Anju’s spirit. Anju said in an interview about this incident,
He is a very orthodox man, but somehow always attracted to ultra-modern girls. Confusion is part of our relationship. If I wore a skirt, he would snap and say, why don’t you wear a sari? If I wear a saree, he would say, why are you trying to look like Bhartiya nari? “
Old photos of Anju Mahendru with Rajesh Khanna and other film actors
In an interview, when Rajesh was asked the same question, he said:
Often after a hard day at the studio, I would come home and find a note saying she went to so-and-so’s party…or when I went to her house tired and lonely, I would find her an interesting friend We…I want to spend an evening alone with her. Sometimes I used to ask Anjou to spend time with my mother, but she was unwilling to do so. Yeah, I don’t want Anju to work in movies. But what career did she sacrifice for me? Those two small characters…where will those scattered characters take her? “
Then, Rajesh’s film failed and this affected his personal life too. Rajesh even began to realize that Anju had never talked about their relationship in public. Anju said about this in an interview,
It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand Rajesh Khanna. He was disappointed by his failed films. He was also very moody and was under a lot of stress all the time. To me, he is Jatin or Justin, someone I love, not Rajesh Khanna, a superstar or phenomenon. I try my best to put my personality, my personality, my identity into him to make him happy. When my salary was high, he wanted me to give up modeling, which I did. He wanted me to quit acting, so he took me out of the film with Sanjeev Kumar. I was keen on a career in films, but Rajesh approached me first. “
One day they had a big fight, after which they stopped talking and started living apart. Anju then began dating West Indies cricketer Garfield Sobers. Later, she broke up with him and returned to Rajesh Khanna. When Rajesh came to know about Anju’s extramarital affair, he was very upset. Later, he met Indian actress Dimple Kapadia while traveling on a chartered plane. At that time, Dimple was not an actor yet. They were seated next to each other and from there they started talking. Rajesh and Dimple then started seeing each other more frequently. Soon, rumors of Rajesh and Dimple’s relationship were doing the rounds in the media. When Anju comes to know about this, she confronts Rajesh but he says they are good friends. A few days later, Rajesh held a birthday party at his home and asked Anju to prepare the guest list. Anju deliberately excluded the names of Dimple Kapadia and her (Dimple) father from the list. When Rajesh learned that Dimple’s name was not on the guest list, he personally invited Dimple and his father to the party. In a 1973 interview, Anju said of Dimple:
Dimple is a smart girl. She first called me Anju aunty and then Rajesh uncle. Then she started laughing at me and acting innocent. “
Anju Mahendru and Rajesh Khanna
At the party, Anju teased Dimple and when Rajesh came to know about it, he was very upset. That’s when Rajesh and Anju realized it was time to end their relationship. Then Rajesh started spending more time with Dimple. Once he went to Dimple’s house and proposed to her with a ring. Dimple accepted the offer and they headed to Khandala in Maharashtra to shoot the film. When Anju came to know about this, she decided to confront Rajesh Khanna. When she was driving to Khandala, she met Rajesh’s driver on the way, who asked her not to go there. Anju then realized that the rumors about Dimple and Rajesh were true. Anjou returned to his home. Speaking about the incident in an interview, Rajesh Khanna said,
When I came back from Khandala, the driver told me that Ms. Anju said she did not want to see me or let me call her. She even returned my gift with the driver. I even wanted to end the relationship but she ended it by telling the driver everything which made me unhappy. “
Old photos of Anju Mahendru with Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia
After nearly seven years of relationship, the couple parted ways in 1972. Then Rajesh Khanna proposed to Dimple Kapadia and the two got married on March 27, 1973. When Rajesh’s barat was going to Dimple’s house, he deliberately asked for diversion of the barat road from Anju Mahendru’s bungalow.
However, Dimple and Rajesh’s marriage did not last long and they divorced in 1982. After Rajesh and Dimple divorced, Anju started seeing Rajesh more frequently. She often took care of Rajesh in his final days. Even with his last breath, he held Anju’s hand. In an interview, Mahesh Bhatt talked about Anju and Rajesh’s relationship. He said,
When I learned about Khanna’s death through the media, I thought about Anju because I knew she would be affected by his death. I managed to contact her late at night and learned that Khanna and Anju were together in the last years of his life. She used to take care of his medical needs and even accompanied him to the hospital. Holding back tears, she told me, “My only comfort was that I held his hand as he took his last breath.”
Anju Mahendru with Rajesh Khanna and family
Garfield Sobers/Gary Sobers
Anju once had a huge fight with Rajesh Khanna, after which she left his house. Later, when she attended a friend’s party, she met West Indies cricketer Gary Sobers. For Gary, it was love at first sight. He became friends with Anju and proposed to her while they were in Calcutta. She liked the attention he paid to her before, so she accepted his proposal. Gradually, she begins to realize that she likes Gary, but she is deeply in love with Rajesh Khanna. She then returned to Rajesh Khanna’s house where she called Gary and broke up with him. In an interview, she said of the incident,
“To be honest, I was in love with Kaka at the time. We had a fight about something, and I had a relationship with Gary out of anger, but that didn’t mean I liked Gary. I called Gary from Kaka’s house, The engagement was cancelled.
Anju Mahendru and her ex-boyfriend Gary Sobers
Later, when Gary was asked about Anju, he said he didn’t know any girl named Anju.
Profession
Model
When she was 13 or 14 years old, she started her modeling career.
Anju Mahendru 14 years old
She then modeled in various modeling assignments.
Anju Mahendru Model Career
She has appeared in TV commercials and print ads for several brands including Brooke Bond Taj Mahal.
Anju Mahendru stars in Brooke Bond print ad
actor
Movie
In 1957, she worked as a child actress in the Hindi film Paying Guest.
Anju Mahendru plays child actor in “The Guest”
She was first discovered by Indian poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi. Kaifi then recommended her name to Indian film director Basu Bhattacharya, who invited Anju to play a role in the 1966 Hindi film “Uski Kahani”.
Uski Kahani (1966) movie poster
Later, she played supporting roles in many Hindi films such as “Jewel Thief” (1967), “Darwaza” (1978), “Ganga Ki Saugand” (1978), “Pyaas” (1982), “Khatarnaak Irade” (1987) and “Char Pardes Hum” (1988). However, the box office performance of her films was not satisfactory.
Anju Mahendru, The Jewel Thief (1967)
She then had small roles in Hindi films such as “Saathiya” (2002), “Satta” (2003), “Page 3” (2005), “Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye” (2006) and “The Dirty Picture” (2011).
Anju Mahendru Page 3
television
Apart from films, Anju has also acted in many Hindi television serials such as Shingora (1986), Swabhimaan (1995), Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2003), Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai ” (2011) and “Yeh Hai Mohabbatein” (2015).
Anju Mahendru “Swabhiman” (1995)
Facts/Trivia
- Anju has appeared on the covers of various magazines.
Anju Mahendru on magazine cover
- She was often spotted smoking.
Anju Mahendru holding cigarette in hand
- She is an avid animal lover and owns several pet dogs.
- Anju founded the ‘Bahena’ movement, which focuses on protecting birds.
- In her spare time, she enjoys gardening.
Anju Mahendru in her garden
- She follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- She loves watching cricket matches and her favorite cricketer is Sunil Gavaskar.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education