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Entertainment / Sun, 26 Jul 2026 News18

70s Star Left Wife Overnight For A Royal Air Hostess, Came Back After She Dumped Him, Wife Divorced Him

Together they had two children, daughter Laila in 1970 and son Fardeen Khan in 1974. Then Feroz Khan flew to Bangalore for work. 2 / 8 In Bangalore he met Jyotika Dhanrajgir, a younger air hostess from a royal Hyderabad family, the daughter of Raja Mahendragir Dhanrajgir. Fardeen Khan, their son, went on to become a Bollywood actor, debuting in the late 1990s and later known for No Entry and Janasheen. His father Feroz Khan died of cancer in Bangalore on 27 April 2009, at the age of 69.

Last Updated: July 26, 2026, 12:18 IST

1 / 8 Feroz Khan, Bollywood's original cowboy known for Dharmatma, Qurbani and Janbaaz, met Sundari at a party in the early 1960s. She was already separated from her first marriage and had a daughter, Sonia. He fell in love with her at the first sight. They dated for five years and married in 1965. Together they had two children, daughter Laila in 1970 and son Fardeen Khan in 1974. It was a happy household. Then Feroz Khan flew to Bangalore for work.

2 / 8 In Bangalore he met Jyotika Dhanrajgir, a younger air hostess from a royal Hyderabad family, the daughter of Raja Mahendragir Dhanrajgir. He was completely smitten by her. Since Jyotika was based in Bangalore and Feroz himself was originally from the city, he began using work trips as cover, staying away from Mumbai for longer and longer periods, spending his time with Jyotika while his wife and children in Mumbai had no idea what was happening. The affair went on for years before Sundari found out.

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3 / 8 When Sundari discovered the affair she didn't wait. She later said in an interview, "I can say I became independent only when my back was against the wall. It was an overnight decision. I packed my bags and moved downstairs. Feroz and I lived under the same roof; the only difference was that he was most of the time away in Bangalore with his new lady. It took me nearly a year to adjust to the emotional upheaval and to the solitude. I missed the life of a wife but not the life of Mrs Khan."

4 / 8 Jyotika repeatedly asked Feroz to marry her. He kept saying he was happy with the way things were and didn't want to complicate it further. She waited. He kept putting it off. After years of living together and waiting for a commitment that never came, Jyotika made her decision. She ended the relationship and left for abroad.

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5 / 8 After Jyotika left, Feroz came back to his family home in Mumbai. He settled in and attempted to resume his life with Sundari as though the previous years had not happened. But Sundari had spent years rebuilding her life independently. She had moved past needing Mrs Khan as her identity.

6 / 8 Feroz and Sundari officially divorced in 1985 after 20 years of marriage. He never remarried. Sundari raised their children largely on her own. Fardeen Khan, their son, went on to become a Bollywood actor, debuting in the late 1990s and later known for No Entry and Janasheen.

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7 / 8 Fardeen Khan grew up watching his family break apart. He had a string of hits in the early 2000s, then faced a drug arrest in 2001 that derailed his career. He disappeared from films for over a decade, gained enormous weight, and made a dramatic comeback in 2023 with Visfot. His transformation went viral across India. His father Feroz Khan died of cancer in Bangalore on 27 April 2009, at the age of 69.

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