On His 3rd Death Anniversary, Here's A Look Back At Vinod Khanna's Stint At Osho's Ashram

In 1982, when Vinod Khanna was at the peak of his stardom, he decided to walk away from it all. For what? To head straight to Osho, an Indian godman and founder of the Rajneesh movement. Today, on the superstar's 3rd death anniversary, we revisit his time spent at Rajneeshpuram.

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It was filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who had introduced Vinod Khanna to Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh after Vinod's mother died and he found himself in the pit of depression. Vinod Khanna instantly took to Osho's teachings, his way on how to live life, how to navigate through pain, and sustain without few luxuries. Soon, Khanna was a sanyasi.

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In an old interview with Times of India, Vinod Khanna spoke candidly about how he time spent at Osho's Rajneeshuram in the United States Of America and said, "I was Osho's mali: I am one of the few Indians to have stayed with Osho in Rajneeshpuram, the city he built in America. I spent four years with Osho. I was his gardener, I cleaned the toilets, I did the dishes, and his clothes were tried out on me because we were, physically, of the same stature.''

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In an interview, actor and Vinod Khanna's younger son, Akshaye Khanna spoke about how his father had decided to leave everything and go away to Rajneeshpuram.

"To not only leave his family but to take ¡®sanyaas¡¯ (renunciation). Sanyaas means giving up your life in totality ¡ª family is [only] a part of it. It¡¯s a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time. As a five-year-old, it was impossible [for me] to understand it. I can understand it now.¡±

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Akshaye Khanna also shared how Vinod Khanna would have never come back if it wasn't for the United States government interfering and destroying Osho's commune.

"Circumstances in America with Osho and the colony, friction with the US government ¡ª that was the reason he came back. It was just the fact that the commune was disbanded, destroyed, and everybody had to find their own way. That¡¯s when he came back. Otherwise, I don¡¯t think he would¡¯ve ever come back.¡±

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When Vinod Khanna did come back, one thing was clear, the superstar that the country adored and loved was no longer there. There were rumors he was back in depression or how he had become disillusioned. But the resilient man he was, he pulled himself out of that quagmire and revived his career in films. Never with the same fire.