Looking Back: When Super Star Rajesh Khanna vowed never to collaborate with Amittabh Bachchan after Namak Haram
Looking Back: When Super Star Rajesh Khanna vowed never to collaborate with Amittabh Bachchan after Namak Haram
It is a well-acknowledged fact that the comradeship amidst two Bollywood stars often
catalyze magic on-screen.
One such star pair was Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna.
These two legends on their own merits enthralled the audience with their exceptional on-screen chemistry in hit films such as Anand and Namak Haraam. Their fans wanted more films of the duo together; but a news came to light that amid the shoot for Namak Haraam, ego cropped up amidst the two. That’s precisely was the prime reason why they were never seen together again.
Notably, Rajesh Khanna’s 1971 released film Anand is still the best-loved of millions of people. Amitabh Bachchan emerged popular with this film,
Dr Bhaskar.while Rajesh Khanna was already a superstar by then. Anand was helmed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee who repeated the hit pair in his 1973 film Namak Haraam.
The movie was also a massive hit, however, the equation of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan’s bond changed during its shoot. At a time when Namak Haraam was being filmed, Amitabh Bachchan’s fame escalated, while Rajesh Khanna’s star power was gradually diminishing.
Reportedly, it was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s original plan for a different ending for the movie, where Amitabh Bachchan’s character would meet a tragic fate. When Rajesh Khanna learned of this, he exerted pressure on the director to alter the climax and modify his role.
It was however Rajesh Khanna’s belief that the audience tends to pay greater attention to the character who dies in the climax.
He thus insisted on changing the climax, which made Amitabh Bachchan quite upset.
To maintain harmony and keep Amitabh Bachchan content, Hrishikesh Mukherjee agreed to alter the script once more, resulting in Rajesh Khanna’s character ultimately dying in the end. Amitabh Bachchan’s character seeks revenge for Rajesh Khanna’s death.
Upon the release of Namak Haraam, Amitabh’s character won more popularity, overshadowing Rajesh Khanna’s role. This reportedly didn’t go well with Rajesh Khanna, who vowed never to collaborate with Amitabh Bachchan again.
News input KV Raman
