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Rajesh Khanna died in 2012. After that, his house Aashirwad was sold for Rs 90 crore to a businessman.
Rajesh Khanna’s Aashirwad was bought for Rs 3.75 lakhs.
Back in the 1960s, Carter Road in Bandra was a quiet stretch, mostly home to Parsis and Anglo-Indians—not the star-studded spot it is today. Among the houses stood an old, rundown bungalow that everyone believed was haunted. No one wanted to buy it, even at a very low price. But when actor Rajendra Kumar, still new to the film industry, heard about it, he saw a rare chance. Despite having no money, he was eager to own a seaside home and wasn’t scared off by the ghost stories.
As told in Seema Sonik Alimchand’s book Jubilee Kumar, the house cost Rs 65,000, but Rajendra Kumar only had Rs 10,000. He wrote a cheque for that amount and gave it to the broker. He said, “I immediately signed a cheque for Rs 10,000 and sent it to the broker. Now I had to pay fifty-five thousand more, which I didn’t have in my account. So I went to Mr BR Chopra, who, a few days earlier, had offered me two films — Dhool ka Phool and Kanoon. While I had accepted both, we had yet to come to an agreement over the payment for each film.”
Rajendra Kumar wanted to buy a house that cost Rs 65,000, but he only had Rs 10,000. He asked B.R. Chopra, who gave him two movie roles, to pay some money early. Rajendra asked for Rs 2 lakh, but Chopra offered Rs 1.75 lakh. He later bought the house.
Rumours said the house was haunted, but the broker told Rajendra Kumar it wasn’t true. The old tenant hadn’t paid rent and made up stories. Rajendra fixed the house and named it Dimple after his daughter. His career grew, and he got the nickname ‘Jubilee Kumar.’ Later, actor Rajesh Khanna bought the house, hoping to share Rajendra’s luck.
Rajesh Khanna bought the bungalow for Rs 3.5 lakh but had to change its name from ‘Dimple’ to ‘Aashirwad.’ Rajendra Kumar told him, as per Alimchand’s book, “You must change the name. Dimple is my daughter’s name. We had named the Carter Road bungalow after her and we have now named our new home ‘Dimple’ too. But you have my blessings for your new home. May it bring you immense luck and prosperity.”
Alimchand’s book shares Rajendra Kumar’s words. After buying Aashirwad, Rajesh became the first big star of Hindi movies. Many fans gathered outside his home. In the book Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, Gautam Chintamani says that moving into Aashirwad made Rajesh’s superstar image complete. Rajesh Khanna died in 2012. After that, his house Aashirwad was sold for Rs 90 crore to a businessman.
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