Vinod Khanna’s unspoken rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan, Amar was 'Deeply Jealous' of Anthony!

Vinod Khanna was among Bollywood’s most charismatic and versatile actors, admired for his magnetic screen presence and effortless charm. Rising to fame in the late 1960s, he evolved from playing suave antagonists to becoming one of the most bankable leading men of the 1970s and '80s, standing shoulder to shoulder with the towering stardom of Amitabh Bachchan.

His life took an unexpected turn when he left the industry at the peak of his career to pursue spiritual enlightenment, a move that only deepened his enigmatic image. Yet, behind the glamour and mystique, few know that Khanna was ‘deeply jealous’ of Bachchan.

TheSpiritualDetour

Vinod Khanna walked away from fame and fortune to join Osho’s commune in the United States, taking sanyaas and devoting himself to a life of meditation. Years later, Swami Shailendra Saraswati, Osho’s brother who lived close to Khanna in Rajneeshpuram, offered rare glimpses into the actor’s time there and his rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan.

Osho’sBrotherRecallsKhanna'sEmotionalStruggles&HiddenEnvy

While speaking to Galatta India, he said, “I know what he was going through. People think that a successful man is successful in every way, but that’s not it. They might be going through a lot otherwise, and only they know about it."

Saraswati recalled that Khanna would “often cry” during his time there, and when Osho asked the reason, he confessed he missed his wife and children, referring to Geetanjali, his then-wife, and their sons, Akshaye and Rahul.

Osho, however, didn't believe in Khanna’s explanation, suggesting the true cause of his distress was jealousy toward Amitabh Bachchan. After Khanna stepped away from films, Bachchan’s stardom soared to unprecedented heights.

“Osho said he is not missing his wife and kids. After Vinod moved to the US, Vinod’s biggest competitor, Amitabh Bachchan has become an MP, and unconsciously, he is deeply jealous of him. Vinod is not aware of that," he recalled.

APoliticalTwist

Osho even recommended that Khanna return to India, join the opposition party and contest elections against Bachchan.

However, Khanna said that he didn't care about politics and only missed his family.

Later, Khanna returned to India in the late 1980s, but, as Saraswati claimed, drifted from the family he once longed for, found new love, revived his film career, and entered politics with the BJP, ironically fulfilling Osho’s political prediction, even as Amitabh Bachchan remained close to the Congress.

ALastingLegacy

Vinod Khanna, the legendary actor and politician known for iconic films like Amar Akbar Anthony and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, passed away in Mumbai at 70 after battling advanced bladder cancer.