Akshaye Khanna says Vinod Khanna joining Osho was 'impossible' to understand as 5-year-old

It often happens that a celebrity may take some unusual and sometimes shocking decisions at the peak of their career. Some have joined politics and then opted out of it, and there have been numerous instances of those who have taken their lives due to pressure. Vinod Khanna too had made headlines when he left it all to join spiritual guru Osho when he was tasting superstardom in the early 80s.  

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When the actor-politician had passed away in 2017, this part of his life was much talked about with a picture of the godman’s hand on Khanna's head as he spread his arms. However, not much is known about it except the reports then. The Amar Akbar Anthony star’s son Akshaye Khanna recently opened about it in an interview with a tabloid. 

As Akshaye, who was five years old then, was asked if knew who Osho then, the actor replied that the fact that his father was not there with him had ‘nothing to do’ with Osho. He added that it was only when he was 15-16 that he understood it, when he started learning, listening and reading about the person. The Ittefaq star then said that his father’s decision was to take ‘sanyas’, not just leaving the family, but all worldly pleasures.

Akshaye said that Khanna Sr felt it was a ‘life-changing decision’ that he felt was essential to take at that time. He, however,  said it was ‘impossible’ for him to understand it then, but he understands it now.

He said that there was something that moved inside his father, like an 'earthquake,' which made him take the decision. Akshaye stated that it was at a time he had everything in life and when one feels there is not much is left to achieve. 

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The Dil Chahta Hai star said that the conditions in America with regards to Osho and the colony, and its friction with the US government was the reason he returned.  He denied that his father got ‘disillusioned’ with Osho and said his decision was influenced by the commune getting ‘disbanded, destroyed’ after which everyone was forced to find their own way.

Akshaye added that if that was not the case, he wouldn’t have ever returned.  

When asked if he himself would like to join an Osho commune, he said ‘sanyas’ wasn’t something he wished to do. However, the Tees Maar Khan star said that he ‘loves’ Osho and has deep respect for him, having read his discourses and watched a lot of his videos. He added that he respected his intellect, oratory skills and way of thinking. 

Vinod Khanna’s journey with Osho 

Vinod Khanna had announced in 1982, when he was at the peak of his career, that he was quitting films to join Osho as his disciple. Akshaye Khanna and his mother too were present at the press conference for the announcement. This was after he had already started visiting him regularly at his ashram in Pune over the weekends.

He followed Osho to his commune in Oregon after the press conference. 

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He had rechristened himself Swami Vinod Bharti then. He, however, returned reportedly for financial security, in 1985. The actor, however, remained in touch with Osho’s teachings even after that. 

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