Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan had worked together in Namak Haraam. The film went on to become a blockbuster but it was revealed that the air was tensed between Rajesh and Big B. In an old interview, renowned actor Asrani opened up about events that took place on the sets of the 1973 film. He revealed that director Hrishikesh Mukherjee had given the room for Rajesh and Amitabh to choose the role they want to play in the film. While Rajesh picked the character who dies in the film, Big B settled with the other.
However, by the end of the film, Amitabh seemingly started regretting passing on the role to Rajesh. Asrani, in the interview with Filmfare, revealed that on the last day of the film’s shoot, Amitabh locked himself up in the room and Hrishi Da had to get him out of the room.
“There was a basic courtesy between the two but Rajesh suffered from a superiority complex. He believed ‘no one can shake me. I am too powerful’. Throughout the film there was palpable tension between the two,” Asrani said. “At the onset Hrishda had asked both of them, which role they wanted to play. He had said, ‘There are two characters, one dies, one fights back! You decide’. Those days the trend was that the actor who died on screen won all the raves. Rajesh chose to die,” he added.
“On the final day of the shoot, Rajesh Khanna’s garlanded photo frame was hung up at Mohan Studio. Amitabh came much before 9.30 am, the reporting time, went to his make-up room and sat. At 10.30 am Hrishida came and sent his assistant Nitin Mukesh to call him for the shot. Nitin came back saying he was not opening the door. Apparently, Amitabh was lamenting his decision of ‘not dying’ in the film. He thought perhaps he’d be able to persuade Hrishida to change the end. But the garlanded frame was already put up and that had upset him,” he said.
Recalling the incident, the actor said, “Hrishida knocked loudly at his door and said, ‘Amit! Kya huwa?’ He said, ‘Woh photo…’ Hrishida shot back, ‘What do you mean? Tumko bola tha na, you chose that role. Now, you can’t back out. Or else I’ll remove Rajesh’s photograph and stop the film.’ Amitabh came on the set and did the shot. But after that film he became a superstar. There’s a scene where Rajesh Khanna meets with an accident. Amitabh’s seething anger where he asks the crowd, “Kissne maara?” got the audiences clapping. Ironically, it was after Namak Haram that Rajesh Khanna’s downslide began. The ‘lover boy’ phase was over. The ‘angry young man’ had arrived,” Asrani shared.
Eventually, Rajesh’s downfall happened so drastically and Big B held the reigns in the 1970s and 1980s. However, even Amitabh couldn’t break Rajesh’s record of 17 consecutive hits.
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