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Vijayta Pandit captured hearts with her effortless performance and her flawless chemistry with hero Kumar Gaurav in the 1981 blockbuster Love Story. Off-screen the duo fell in love, but their relationship didn't have a fairytale ending. In a conversation with Lehren Retro, the actress revisited her tragic love story and how it impacted her career.  

What role Kumar Gaurav's father had in his relationship with Vijayta Pandit?

Reminiscing their bond, Vijayta said her chemistry with Kumar Gaurav was quite evident "We were shooting together… and we fell in love. Rajendra Kumar (Kumar Gaurav's father) could sense it and he was very against it," she said. According to Vijayta, their growing closeness was strongly disapproved by Kumar Gaurav's father Rajendra Kumar. "He would get very angry… he would tell him, ‘If you fall in love at this stage, what will happen to your career? I will find a well-established girl for you.’ I would hear all this and get very scared," she admitted. Despite this, their bond continued, "We did fall in love… the heart doesn’t listen. It was my first love."

What happened when Vijayta Pandit went to Kumar Gaurav's engagement?

While the film Love Story went on to become blockbuster, their personal lives took a complicated turn. During this phase, Kumar Gaurav got engaged to Reema Kapoor, the daughter of legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Vijayta revealed she attended the engagement. "I went happily… but when I saw that big diamond ring, I said it’s beautiful, and he got angry—‘If you like it, throw it!." According to her, even people could sense their relationship and acknowledged the strong bond between them. "Reena Roy told my sister that there is a lot of love between them,” she said.

'I will still marry Vijayta...'

Despite being engaged, Kumar continued to meet her. "My mother asked him, ‘You’re engaged, why do you come here?’ and he said, ‘Yes, I’m engaged, but I will marry Vijayta," she revealed. Apparently, things didn't work out. Vijayta confirmed that she had no business in his broken engagement. Kumar Gaurav later married Namrata Dutt. Vijayta admitted that the break up hampered her career. “Rajendra Kumar got me removed from films… producers would say our pair was a hit, but he would insist that films run because of the hero,” she claimed.