Vinod Mehra’s wife Kiran Mehra affirmed her affection for Rekha and said that she was a ‘wonderful person’, who had remained ‘honest to her husband’ till the very end. Vinod Mehra and Rekha had developed a close bond during the 70‘s, and it was widely believed that the two had even got married, something that Rekha later denied to Simi Garewal in 2004.
Speaking to ET Times, Kiran Mehra opened up about all the speculation surrounding Vinod Mehra and Rekha. She said that Rekha had remained in his life to the end, and that she was ‘loving and forgiving’. Adding that Rekha even attended their marriage, she said she will give her a hug if they meet today. Mentioning that she did not intend to compare herself with someone of that stature, she said that she and Rekha were very similar
Speaking to ETimes, Kiran Mehra revealed how she met with Vinod Mehra and said, “We met through common friends. After two days, he asked me out for lunch. He followed me to London. We soon fell in love. We spoke only on the phone and exchanged notes. After some time, I was again in India.”
Telling about her father’s plans, Kiran Mehra said, “My dad who was then settled in Kenya decided to come down and take me to Kenya (so that the love story ends and the shaadi does not happen). Vinod spoke to him and he told him that he was taking my sister and me for a few days to North India, but he had actually booked tickets from Delhi to Kenya!”
The late actor’s wife further revealed their next meeting in Delhi and said, “Another meeting happened between Vinod and my father in Delhi. I called Vinod and told him that dad was taking me away. Vinod flew down to Delhi. I don’t know the details of that meeting but the very next week, we were married.”
When asked if it was Vinod Mehra’s previous relationships that bothered Kiran’s father, she said, “Stories come and go. But look, we were not from the industry. Moreover, India was not my home. And, the youngest daughter of the family (me) wanted to marry a man who was 20 years older than her! My father’s concern was justified.”
Yasser Usman, who penned the unofficial biography for Rekha, had written in his book that when Mehra brought Rekha home, his mother was ‘furious’ as she did not want Rekha as her daughter-in-law. “Such was her hostility to Rekha that she reportedly pushed the actress away when the latter tried to touch her feet,” he wrote.
Mehra’s marriage was then arranged with Meena Broca, and later the marriage ended as he found love in Bindiya Goswami. However, that relationship soured and in 1988, Mehra married Kiran Mehra. Their marriage lasted for two years, till he died of a heart attack in October 1990. He has two children, Soniya and Rohan Mehra, both of whom are actors. Soniya made her debut in the 2007 film Victoria No 203, while Rohan made his debut in Nikhil Advani’s film, Bazaar.
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