'Mera Ghar Bikwana…': When Rajesh Khanna, In Debt, Refused To Sell His Aashirwad Bungalow To Sohail Khan

News18

3 days ago

Rajesh Khanna faced financial ruin and rumours had it that he was considering to sell his Carter Road bungalow, Aashirwad. Sohail Khan offered to buy it, but Khanna refused.
Rajesh Khanna, regarded as one of India's first superstars, saw success like no one. From his stupendous stretch of 17 superhit films, robust fan following and wealth, there was a time when Rajesh Khanna had it all. Unfortunately, his descent was swifter than his ascent. And there came a time in life when the Aradhana actor fell into a massive debt. Talks began that the superstar was planning to sell off one of his most prized possessions – his Carter Road bungalow, Aashirwad. And guess who made an offer to buy it? Salman Khan's younger brother, Sohail Khan.
In Rajesh Khanna's biography, Dark Star The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, penned by Gautam Chintamani and published by Rupa Publications, an excerpt about his financial status back then read: 'For a better part of the early years of the first decade of the new millennium, troubled clouds had taken over almost every small pocket of sunshine in Khanna's life. His financial state went from bad to worse and there were murmurs that he was finally on the lookout to sell Aashirwad. Like most rumours emanating from the world of Hindi cinema, no one knew how real the reports about his house being up for grabs were, but people believed them because Khanna looked troubled. The news that the income tax department had slapped a notice for arrears of over a crore and a half rupees on him finally made it all too true."
That's when screenwriter Rumi Jaffery remembered that Salman Khan was one of the firsts to call him and say that Sohail Khan was interested in buying Aashirwad. Sohail assured that Khanna could name any price he wished, and not only would the Khans pay it, but they'd also settle the pending IT dues. On top of that, Salman even offered to act in a film for Rajesh Khanna's production house completely free of charge. The Khans roped in Jaffery to help facilitate the deal, and he believed it was the perfect solution for everyone involved.
Jaffery couldn't contain his excitement and told Khanna about the offer the Khans made, instead, he was greeted by 'stoic silence". 'When Khanna finally spoke, he asked him how he could even think of suggesting such a thing and accused him of stabbing him in his back. 'Kakaji said, 'I consider you a son-in-law aur tu mera ghar bikwana chahta hai… Sadak par lana chahta hai!" I had a tough time explaining that I was merely a postman delivering Sohail Khan's message,' Jaffery says," read a part of the book.
'He even mused that he would die some day but Aashirwad would live on forever; and till such time, the world would never forget Rajesh Khanna," read another line.
It was in the same house that Khanna lived until the end of his time, alone. 'He would often be quoted saying, 'A king is a king whether on throne or in exile,' and in that context believed that Aashirwad wasn't anything less than his legacy that would outlast his lifetime. Jaffery was never allowed to forget the incident as long as Khanna was alive, and he recalls that even Sohail Khan—who bumped into the actor a few years later and introduced himself as Salim Khan's youngest son—was castigated by Khanna for sending Jaffery to buy him out," read another excerpt.
Filmmaker Johny Bakshi once said that remembers the day he saw a solemn Rajesh Khanna looking at the waves of the Arabian Sea hitting the edge of the road across his home. 'That day's newspapers carried an IT department notice regarding an auction of Aashirwad and Khanna was all but broken. Bakshi knew Vinay Kumar Sinha, a former IT officer who later joined Abdul Gaffar Nadiadwala's production house and went on to produce Andaz Apna Apna (1994). He asked Khanna if he wanted him to seek some advice on the matter. 'He just nodded his head and said, 'Gal kar…'", he said.
Who were the past owners of Rajesh Khanna's 'haunted house'?
Carter Road, where Aashirwad was located, was largely home to Parsi and Anglo-Indian families. They sold off the house to Rajendra Kumar, who named the bungalow after his daughter, Dimple. The house was infamous for granting beginners luck, only to rob them of it later.
In fact, Rajendra Kumar's career grew after he moved into the house, and he got the nickname 'Jubilee Kumar.' Soon after, he faced a string of flops. The house then went to Rajesh Khanna, who bought for it Rs 3.5 lakh, and changed its name from 'Dimple' to 'Aashirwad.' However, Khanna, too, met the same fate as Kumar. His stardom began to fade and the-then superstar faced insurmountable financial losses. However, he refused to sell it and lived there until his passing in 2012.
An industrialist bought Rajesh Khanna's Aashirwad in 2014 and had it demolished two years later – along with it, a golden era of history was buried beneath a pile of debris.
First Published:
July 21, 2025, 17:55 IST
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