Vinod Khanna’s Spiritual Journey: Struggling with Personal Issues, Says Ma Anand Sheela
Ma Anand Sheela, a close associate of Osho Rajneesh, shared insights into Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna’s time at the Rajneeshpuram commune, where he sought solace from his personal struggles in the early 1980s. At the height of his career, Vinod Khanna decided to leave acting and join Osho’s community in Oregon, USA, in search of peace.
Sheela, who was working alongside Osho at the time, recalled that while Vinod was a huge film star, he was just another seeker in her eyes. In a conversation with Pinkvilla, she said, “To me, he was just another sanyasi. I was a bigger celebrity there.”
She further discussed his personal challenges, mentioning, “He had it all in the outside world, but there was unhappiness. He also struggled with alcohol. That combination can be very destructive. Marital issues can have a huge impact on a person’s life.”
When asked directly about his marital troubles, Sheela responded, “From what I gathered, yes, he was dealing with that.” However, she didn’t confirm if his time at the ashram provided the peace he was seeking, explaining, “I never asked him if he found peace at the ashram.”
Vinod Khanna, in a past interview with Simi Garewal, had opened up about his reasons for joining Osho. He mentioned, “I was mentally overstimulated and angry. My thoughts were everywhere. It reached a point where I needed to meditate and find control over my mind. I felt the need to be in an ashram and focus entirely on deepening my meditation.”
Khanna spent five years at Rajneeshpuram before returning to India. After his return, he went through a divorce with his first wife, Geetanjali, and later married Kavita Daftary. Vinod Khanna passed away in 2017 at the age of 70.
