From 17 Consecutive Hits To A Lonely End: Inside Rajesh Khanna’s ‘Cursed’ Bungalow Aashirwad

Hyderabad: From Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat to Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa, Bollywood superstars boast of lavish sea-facing bungalows. But long before these famous addresses, there was one bungalow that stood apart.

Located on Mumbai's Carter Road, Aashirwad was once home to India's first superstar, Rajesh Khanna. But the bungalow carried a strange reputation as many believed it was cursed. If reports are to be believed, three major Bollywood stars lived there and all three saw their careers fall sharply after moving in.

Aashirwad: The Haunted Bungalow That Shadowed Rajesh Khanna's Stardom (Photo: Getty images)

The story of Aashirwad began much before Rajesh Khanna moved in in the house. Originally, the bungalow belonged to an Anglo-Indian family and was later bought by Bharat Bhushan, a top actor of the 1950s. Bhushan was known for classics like Baiju Bawra and Mirza Ghalib. At one time, he stood alongside Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.

Soon after moving into the bungalow, his luck changed. His films stopped working and money problems followed. Buried in debt, Bharat Bhushan was forced to sell the house. That is when people first started calling the house unlucky, as per reports.

The next owner was Rajendra Kumar, fondly known as "Jubilee Kumar." He bought the bungalow in the 1960s for around Rs 60,000. At that time, Rajendra Kumar was one of Hindi cinema's biggest stars. His films regularly ran for silver jubilees. But history repeated itself. His popularity started declining, films failed, and by the end of the decade, he too had to sell the bungalow to escape the ill fate that came along with it.

Then came Rajesh Khanna. In the early 1970s, at the peak of his career, he bought the house for Rs 3.5 lakh and renamed it Aashirwad, meaning blessings. Rajesh Khanna was unstoppable at the time. He had delivered 17 consecutive solo hits. Fans used to line up outside his house every day just to see him wave from the balcony. Aashirwad became a symbol of superstardom.

But time changed everything. His stardom started to fade. He faced many struggles in his personal life too. Still, he never left Aashirwad. It remained his home until his death in 2011. Over the years, Aashirwad earned the nickname "bhoot bangla" in industry circles. Many wondered if the house was truly cursed or if it was just coincidence. The bungalow was eventually demolished and redeveloped. Yet its story refuses to die even after so many years.

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