At the peak of his Bollywood career, Vinod Khanna stunned fans by walking away from the spotlight to join spiritual guru Osho. Now, his second wife, Kavita Khanna, has opened up about his time at the ashram, from participating in naked meditation sessions on a Mumbai beach to even working as a gardener there.
How was Vinod Khanna’s life at Osho
Vinod Khanna’s second wife, Kavita Khanna, has spoken about the reasons the late actor walked away from his flourishing career and joined spiritual leader Osho at his commune, first in India and later in Oregon, US. She spoke about Vinod Khanna’s life at Osho's commune in a video posted on her YouTube channel.
Kavita shared that Vinod was very spiritual since childhood and bought the book Autobiography of a Yogi when he was 17.
Talking about the moment Vinod decided to give up the glamorous life as an actor and take ‘sanyas’, Kavita said, “The tipping point from giving up this unbelievable material life that he had… the adoration he had, and the success… was when a number of deaths happened in the family within two years. So, when his mother passed, he just went to Osho and took sanyas.”
Kavita also mentioned that despite being a huge star in India, Vinod Khanna took on the role of a gardener at Osho’s private residence during his time at the Oregon commune, saying, “He was Osho‘s gardener. Osho’s home was private, and very few people had access to it, but if you were the gardener, you were there. That was his seva.”
{{/usCountry}}Kavita also mentioned that despite being a huge star in India, Vinod Khanna took on the role of a gardener at Osho’s private residence during his time at the Oregon commune, saying, “He was Osho‘s gardener. Osho’s home was private, and very few people had access to it, but if you were the gardener, you were there. That was his seva.”
{{/usCountry}}Apart from this, he also served as a model for the designer of Osho’s robes. “In Oregon, Osho had these fabulous flowing ropes, which were designed for him, and all of them used to be tried on Vinod because of their same shoulder size,” she said.
In the video, Kavita also recalled that the actor took part in nude meditation sessions at Mumbai’s Girgaon Chowpatty.
She said, “Even when he was in Mumbai before he moved to Pune ashram, the meditations on Chowpatty Beach in Bombay, which is right at the centre of this throbbing city, and everyone took their clothes off, and they were meditating naked in a circle on the beach… I know Vinod was not there looking for the physical part of it. I think his journey was a spiritual one with immense commitment and devotion.”
More about Vinod Khanna
In 2017, Vinod Khanna, known for his performances in films like Mere Apne and Qurbani, died at the age of 70. He was suffering from advanced bladder carcinoma and was being treated at the HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai.
The actor made his debut with Mann Ka Meet in 1968. Although earlier known for his villainous roles, he won hearts for his performances in films such as Muqaddar ka Sikandar and Amar Akbar Anthony.
At the peak of his career in 1982, Vinod Khanna quit movies and joined spiritual leader Osho Rajneesh. In later years, he was seen in projects such as Wanted, Dabangg and Dilwale.
He was married to Geetanjali with whom he had two sons – Rahul Khanna and Akshaye Khanna. They got divorced in 1985. After five years, he got married to Kavita with whom he had two children: Sakshi and Shraddha.
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