Aashirwad name change would have hurt Rajesh Khanna: Anita Advani

Late superstar Rajesh Khanna’s Bandra home Aashirwad has been renamed Vardan Aashirwad recently by his family. The name change is said to have been in accordance with Mr Khanna’s last wishes but it has not gone down well with his alleged live-in partner Anita Advani.

According to reports, Ms Advani believes that Mr Khanna would have been hurt by the name change. (Read: The name change that was Rajesh Khanna’s last wish)

“If the rumours are true, it would hurt Kakaji’s (Rajesh Khanna’s) soul. Aashirwad is synonymous with Rajesh Khanna,” Anita Advani told the Times Of India.

The report further says that Ms Advani is upset since the name Aashirwad was chosen by Rajesh Khanna’s father.

The bungalow, on Carter Road in upscale Bandra, was originally owned by actor Rajendra Kumar and was then called, ironically, Dimple. Mr Khanna changed the name of the house when he bought it a few years before he met and married actress Dimple Kapadia.

A source close to the family told Mid-Day: “It was Kakaji’s last wish. He wanted the name of the bungalow to be changed from Aashirwad to Vardan Aashirwad. However, it could not be done earlier due to his failing health. The name was finally altered only a couple of days back.”

Also as per Mr Khanna’s wishes, the bungalow will be converted into a museum for the hundreds and thousands of fans who have been queuing outside his bungalow ever since the actor died last month.

Aashirwad became the subject of a bitter dispute between Rajesh Khanna’s family and Ms Advani, who allegedly sent the Khannas a legal notice and blocked the process of converting the home into a museum by refusing to leave. She later denied having done so and also rubbished accusations of wanting the house for herself.

Mr Khanna died at home in Mumbai on July 18, 2012. He was 69 and had been battling cancer.