When Rajesh Khanna Banned Dimple from Acting: 'Wanted Mother for My Kids; Had No Idea of Her Talent'

Dimple Kapadia married Rajesh Khanna even before her her debut film, Bobby (1973), released. The actress, who became immensely popular portraying the titular role in the Raj Kapoor directorial, had already bid goodbye to the industry and was settling down in her marriage. With reports claiming that she was being offered Rs 5 lakhs to star in a film, Rajesh Khanna had stopped Dimple from acting.

Years later, after Dimple and Rajesh parted ways, Rajesh opened up about stopping Dimple from working and confessed that he had not seen her work in Bobby when he made the decision and primiarily wanted her to raise their daughters, Twinkle and Rinke.

“I had no problems about my wife working. But when I married Dimple, I wanted a mother for my children. I didn’t want them to be brought up by servants. And I had no idea of Dimple’s talent; Bobby was still not released,” he said in an interview with Movie Magazine in 1990, as reported by Indian Express.

In an old interview with India Today, Dimple also confessed she was too young to understand the impact of Bobby on her career. She was 16 when she was filming for the movie. “I was too young to realise the importance of Bobby for my career, but from the day I entered Rajesh’s house, Ashirwad, I somehow knew that the marriage wouldn’t work,” she said.

Dimple and Rajesh parted ways in 1982. However, they did not file for divorce. Dimple made her acting comeback in 1984 with Zakhmi Sher before she starred in the blockbuster film Saagar in 1985. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, the film brought her back with Rishi Kapoor and also starred Kamal Haasan.

Rajesh died on July 18, 2012, after a battle with cancer. An emotional Dimple was seen at the funeral with daughters Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna, and they were joined by Twinkle’s husband, actor Akshay Kumar.