Vinod Khanna’s Wife Kavita Khanna On Equation With Akshaye, Rahul Khanna: ‘Didn’t Try To Replace Their Mother’

Vinod Khanna’s personal life was as layered and unconventional as his cinematic legacy. While the actor remains celebrated for his towering presence on screen, his journey off screen was shaped by spiritual upheavals, difficult separations, and relationships defined by maturity rather than melodrama.

Married twice and a father to four children, Vinod Khanna’s family dynamics have often been discussed, but rarely explored with nuance. In a recent conversation, his second wife Kavita Khanna offered rare insight into how she navigated her role within a blended family without overstepping emotional boundaries.

Vinod Khanna’s First Marriage and His Turn Towards Spirituality

Vinod Khanna married Geetanjali Khanna in 1971, and the couple welcomed two

sons, Rahul Khanna and Akshaye Khanna, both of whom later carved their own paths in the Hindi film industry. However, their marriage came to an end in 1985, a period marked by Vinod Khanna’s growing involvement with spiritual leader Osho.

The actor’s decision to step away from mainstream life and immerse himself in spiritual pursuit resulted in a separation that altered the course of his family life permanently.

Kavita Khanna On Being A Stepmother Without Replacing a Mother

Vinod Khanna married Kavita Khanna in 1990, and the couple went on to have two daughters, Sakshi and Shraddha Khanna. Speaking to Loveena Tandon, Kavita addressed her relationship with Vinod’s sons from his first marriage with clarity and emotional intelligence.

“They were mine because they were Vinod’s children. They had to be mine, but they were not mine,” she said, explaining that she never tried to fill the role of their mother. According to Kavita, Rahul and Akshaye already had “the best mother they could have,” and she consciously chose not to intrude on that bond.

A Cordial Relationship With Geetanjali Khanna

Contrary to the narratives often associated with fractured families, Kavita described her relationship with Geetanjali Khanna as respectful and uncomplicated. She emphasised that there was no bitterness between them, only clearly defined boundaries and mutual understanding.

“We were very cordial. There was no discord whatsoever,” Kavita shared, adding that real life rarely fits the simplistic mould of villains and victims. According to her, maturity lies in accepting choices, respecting personal space, and allowing life to move forward without resentment.

Akshaye Khanna On His Father’s Departure And Its Emotional Impact

In an earlier interview with Mid-Day, Akshaye Khanna reflected on how deeply his father’s spiritual withdrawal affected him as a child. Now enjoying the success of his latest film Dhurandhar, Akshaye spoke candidly about the confusion he felt when Vinod Khanna chose renunciation.

“To not only leave his family, but to take sanyaas… as a five-year-old, it was impossible to understand it,” he said, describing the decision as life-altering and emotionally overwhelming.

Understanding The Choice, Even If It Hurt

Despite the pain, Akshaye acknowledged that his father’s decision must have come from an intense internal reckoning. He described it as something that could only occur when a “basic fault line” shifts within a person, especially someone who seemingly had everything.

While the emotional scars remained, Akshaye’s reflections revealed an attempt to understand, rather than judge, the man behind the choice.