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At the peak of his fame, Vinod Khanna walked away from Bollywood to join Osho’s ashram in the U.S. In a rare interview, Osho’s brother reveals the real reason behind Khanna’s retreat—and how Osho saw through the actor’s emotional turmoil to uncover a deeper rivalry.
.. Read More Vinod Khanna was the epitome of charm, intensity, and box-office success in the 1970s and early 80s—a Bollywood heartthrob whose rise seemed unstoppable.
Then, at the height of his fame, he did the unthinkable: he walked away from it all. The red carpets, the adoring fans, the stardom—everything was left behind when he joined Osho’s commune in the United States, taking sanyaas and disappearing into a world of meditation, silence, and spiritual retreat. But as with many such decisions, the truth behind Vinod Khanna’s retreat was layered and complex.
In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Swami Shailendra Saraswati—brother of the late mystic Osho—offered an intimate and rare glimpse into Khanna’s state of mind during those transformative years at the Rajneeshpuram ashram in Oregon. “These people are sapno ke saudagar (sellers of dreams)," Saraswati said, referring to actors and celebrities. “They create illusions on screen, but their own lives are often far from perfect.
There’s a lot of turmoil behind the glamour." He was speaking from deep familiarity, having lived beside Vinod Khanna at Rajneeshpuram, where the two shared neighboring residences. “He would often tell me how much he missed his wife and children," Saraswati recalled, referring to Geetanjali, Khanna’s then-wife, and their sons, Akshaye and Rahul.
The actor’s decision to renounce worldly life had been dramatic—he left at the peak of his career, with a young family back home in India, to live in the commune as a disciple of Osho, then one of the most controversial spiritual leaders in the world. Khanna lived a life of simplicity in the ashram, far removed from film sets and flashbulbs. He worked as a gardener in Osho’s home—an existence marked by humility, silence, and introspection.
But Osho, according to his brother, could see deeper than appearances. “He saw that Vinod was sad, and asked people around him what was bothering him. They said he missed his family.
But Osho wasn’t convinced. He said, ‘No, he’s not missing his family. Tell him to go back to India and fight an election against Amitabh Bachchan.
’" It was a moment that left everyone, including Vinod Khanna himself, stunned. “I had never imagined he had any political aspirations," Saraswati said. “But Osho had that kind of insight.
He could see what even the person themselves couldn’t. He knew that in Vinod’s subconscious, there was a deep sense of loss—not of family, but of status. He had left Bollywood when he was on top.
And in his absence, Amitabh Bachchan had become the number one star." Osho’s insight, Saraswati claimed, revealed the true wound Vinod was nursing. “Vinod’s conscious mind was trying to convince him he was a noble man who missed his family.
But Osho said what he really missed was his position, his place at the top. He was envious of Bachchan, and that pain was manifesting in other ways." Eventually, Vinod Khanna did return to India in the late 1980s.
He resumed his film career with renewed focus, went on to star in several successful movies, and entered politics, serving as a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. Ironically, while Khanna aligned with the BJP, Amitabh Bachchan maintained close ties with the Congress and the Gandhi family, making Osho’s political prediction oddly prescient. His son, actor Akshaye Khanna, later spoke about his father’s spiritual journey in an interview with Simi Garewal.
“I was too young to understand what was really happening," he said. “Nobody really explained it to me—I don’t remember it being a conversation. It just was the way things were.
But now, I don’t think it was a bad or wrong decision. When a relationship no longer serves the people involved, I don’t think there’s any reason to continue it." Vinod himself, in a separate interview with Simi, reflected on that phase with remarkable honesty.
“Yes, it was selfish in a way," he admitted. “But I was in touch with my family. I didn’t just disappear.
I was providing for them. But I had reached a point where my mind was all over the place—angry, hyperactive. Meditation gave me peace.
It gave me a new perspective. I realized that if I wanted to go deeper, I had to give myself completely to the process, live at the feet of my guru, and devote myself fully to that path." For five years, Khanna lived in that spiritual discipline.
It was a period of cleansing, reflection, and confrontation—with his own ego, his desires, and his demons. And when he returned, he did so not with regret, but with clarity. As Swami Shailendra Saraswati said, “Osho could see through people—not just their smiles or their sadness, but their soul.
He knew what Vinod was truly seeking, even before Vinod himself did.".
