MUMBAI: In the realm of Bollywood superstitions and tales of the supernatural, the story of a haunted bungalow in Mumbai stands out as a chilling reminder of how fortunes can change. This bungalow, located in the upscale Carter Road area, was the unfortunate abode of three Bollywood superstars from different eras, all of whom faced financial ruin and lost stardom after residing there.
Originally owned by an Anglo-Indian family, the bungalow came into the possession of Bharat Bhushan, the reigning box office king of the 1950s. With blockbuster hits like Baiju Bawra and Mirza Ghalib, Bharat Bhushan was a celebrated figure in the Bombay film industry. However, by the 1960s, his star began to fade, and he found himself in mounting debt, eventually leading him to sell the house. This marked the beginning of the bungalow's infamous reputation as a place of misfortune.
The next star to fall victim to the bungalow's curse was Rajendra Kumar, who purchased the property for a mere Rs 60,000 and named it Dimple after his daughter. Despite initial success and earning the moniker "Jubilee Kumar" for his string of hit films, Kumar's luck took a turn for the worse in the late 1960s. Facing financial troubles, he was compelled to sell the bungalow to recover his losses.
The final blow came to the bungalow's reputation when it was acquired by Rajesh Khanna, then the reigning superstar of Indian cinema. Renaming it Aashirwad, Khanna's career took a downturn in the early 1970s, marked by a series of box office failures and personal setbacks. His marriage crumbled, and he reportedly lived alone in the bungalow, which had become a shadow of its former glory.
In 2014, the bungalow was sold to an industrialist for Rs 90 crore, and in 2016, it was demolished to make way for a new property, bringing an end to its storied history as a dwelling that brought misfortune to its occupants. The tale of this haunted bungalow serves as a cautionary reminder of the unpredictability of fame and fortune in the world of Bollywood.
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Credit: DNA
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