Rajesh Khanna believed Amitabh Bachchan ‘played dirty politics' against him; Big B felt ‘betrayed' when Namak Haraam's climax was changed
Rajesh's character died a poetic death at the end of Anand, which convinced him that a death scene leaves an impression on the audience. So, when Namak Haraam came around, Rajesh insisted that his character should be the one who dies, despite the fact that Hrishikesh Mukherjee had other plans. Gulzar, who wrote the film, was quoted as saying in Yasser Usman's book Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar, 'In Namak Haraam, we had to change the end because Hrishikesh Mukherjee had promised Rajesh Khanna the death scene.'
Amitabh had no clue about this agreement, and found out about it on the day of the shoot. 'In Hindi films, the one who dies is considered a hero, so both were keen on being heroic. It was only on the day of the shooting that Amitabh finally learnt the truth. He was crestfallen. He was so hurt that he didn't speak to me for several days. He felt I had betrayed him,' he shared in the same book.
ALSO READ | Metro In Dino movie review: Sara Ali Khan plays a Kareena Kapoor-coded character in Anurag Basu's annoying and exhilarating film
Rajesh Khanna's secretary and associate for 20 years, Prashant Roy, said in the book, 'Those days, Kakaji used to be very angry with Amitabh Bachchan. He used to tell his close friends that Hrishikesh Mukherjee is his favourite director, but Amitabh has filled his ears. Kakaji used to say that during the entire shooting of Namak Haraam, Amitabh played dirty politics with him. During my 20 years working with Kakaji, I never saw Amitabh coming to Aashirwaad. Earlier, Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to come quite often, but after Namak Haraam, even his visits were rare,' he said.
Rajesh and Amitabh never shared the screen again. Rajesh passed away at 69 in 2012.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Metro In Dino box office collection day 2: Anurag Basu's film sees growth in business, makes over ₹6 crore
Box office report The report states that Metro in Dino has collected ₹6.33 crore on the second day, as per early estimates. The total stands at ₹9.83 crore. The business saw a growth after day 1. The opening day collection was ₹3.5 When it comes to occupancy, the film had an overall 27.18 per cent occupancy in Hindi on Saturday. The morning shows saw 11.65 per cent footfall, while afternoon shows registered 30.95 per cent footfall. The evening shows had 38.95 per cent footfall. The romantic film was released on July 4. Life in a Metro, which was released in 2007, was a sleeper hit. It has opened at just ₹80 lakh upon release. However, it built on its word of mouth to end up with a lifetime domestic collection of over ₹24 crore. About Metro in Dino With music composed by Pritam, this film is the spiritual sequel to Anurag Basu's 2007 hit Life... In A Metro, which starred Irrfan. Notably, Konkona Sensharma is the only lead from the original cast to reprise her role in the sequel. Sticking to the concept from the first part, the film follows the lives of four couples as they navigate the highs and lows of love and commitment in different cities. The musical romantic drama is written and directed by Anurag Basu and produced by T-Series Films and Anurag Basu Productions. The film weaves together several stories of contemporary couples and features an ensemble cast, including Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film opened to a positive response from critics. According to a review by Hindustan Times, the film is a 'messy-yet-beautiful ode to modern-day romance, is elevated by Pritam's score'. 'The screenplay and story are by Basu, and there's something magical that he brings to the big screen. One of the most innovative filmmakers of our time, he has touched upon a plethora of subjects- from identity crisis, to loneliness, to infidelity (pronounced hilariously as 'infertility' by Pankaj Tripathi's character), to loss- and condensed them into a 162-minute film,' read the review.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
‘Sitaare Zameen Par' Box Office Collection Day 16: Aamir Khan's film sees growth, crosses ₹142 Crore
Aamir Khan's family drama 'Sitaare Zameen Par' recorded a strong jump on its 16th day at the box office, earning ₹ 5 crore on the third Saturday. With this, the film's total domestic collection has reached ₹ 142.80 crore. After a dip in earnings on Day 15 (Friday), which brought in ₹ 2.4 crore, the Saturday collections have offered a fresh boost to the film's performance. The jump reflects renewed audience interest as the weekend progresses. In its second week, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' collected ₹ 46.5 crore, with ₹ 46.24 crore from the Hindi version, ₹ 0.17 crore from Tamil, and ₹ 0.09 crore from Telugu. On Day 16, the Hindi (2D) version saw a rise in cinema occupancy: The increase in evening show attendance suggests that the film continues to attract families and younger audiences. Analysts note that strong word-of-mouth, Aamir Khan's presence, and the film's emotional storyline have helped sustain interest beyond the initial release period. With Sunday still to come, trade experts expect the film to post even stronger numbers by the end of the weekend. If momentum continues, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' may cross the ₹ 150 crore mark soon. This performance reinforces Aamir Khan's pull at the box office and reflects the audience's ongoing appetite for heartfelt, message-driven cinema. Directed by R.S. Prasanna, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' is a spiritual sequel to the 2007 cult classic 'Taare Zameen Par'. The film stars Aamir Khan as a basketball coach assigned to train a group of neurodivergent children after being involved in a driving-related incident. Genelia D'Souza co-stars, and the film notably features ten neurodivergent debutant actors.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Sitaare Zameen Par: A slam-dunk that dribbles humour with sensitivity
This charming 'basketball diaries' is special by not overplaying 'specialness' Have you ever watched a film so sweet and kind, that though you were conscious of its flaws, your heart willed your head not to let them overshadow what you loved about it? That's how I feel about director RS Prasanna's Sitaare Zameen Par (Stars on Earth), produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit, featuring Aamir as an errant basketball coach ordered by a judge to train a team of persons with intellectual disabilities. Prasanna's interest in blending humour with delicate topics was evident when he took up erectile dysfunction in the 2013 Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham (Wedding Feast), and its 2017 Hindi remake, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (Good Luck, Be Careful). In SZP - the Hindi remake of the 2018 Spanish film, Campeones (Champions) - he reminds us that you can populate a comedy with marginalised communities, yet never punch down. In the strictest sense of the word, SZP may be considered predictable. It goes without saying that by the end, Aamir's khadoos, selfish Gulshan will evolve. That he will repair his relationship with his wife (Genelia Deshmukh). That while he coaches neurodivergent youngsters (Simran Mangeshkar, Aayush Bhansali, Aroush Datta, Ashish Pendse, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Naman Misra, Rishabh Jain, Rishi Shahani, Samvit Desai and Vedant Sharma) in the game of basketball, they will coach him in the game of life. SZP's point though is not its conclusion, but the path to it. Aamir's willingness as producer and superstar to back thoughtful cinema far removed from the works of his male contemporaries in the Hindi film industry gives SZP the visibility it deserves. Its winning move is the casting of the basketballers, each one dealing in reality with the challenge that their character has on screen. The result: instead of 'playing' autism, or Down's syndrome, they play people who no doubt have challenges, but are not defined by them. A hat tip here to casting directors Tess Joseph and Anmol Ahuja. Gopi, who plays SZP's Guddu, was charming as the joint lead in Thirike (The Return), an endearing Malayalam film about orphaned brothers separated by adoption, co-directed by George Kora and Sam Xavier. Thirike was released in 2021, the same year as the lovely Hindi-English Ahaan directed by Nikhil Pherwani, starring an excellent Abuli Mamaji as a youngster with Down's Syndrome (like the actor), who befriends a man with OCD. SZP, Thirike and Ahaan add a crucial layer to discussions on representation in casting. I'm particularly preoccupied with this subject since I just watched the US series Parenthood, in which the brilliant Max Burkholder, a neurotypical actor, played a boy on the autism spectrum. Divy Nidhi Sharma's script for SZP nudges us to expand our definition of marginalisation, and to also note how those who face prejudice might harbour prejudice, too. Its most hilarious track involves Gulshan's ageism towards his mother, played impeccably by Dolly Ahluwalia. For a film that understands ageism, it's disappointing and ironic, though, that a woman of Aamir's age was not cast as Gulshan's wife. Instead, as he told the press, he has been 'de-aged' with VFX. I'm not sure whether it's the VFX or the weight of playing characters who are decades his junior, or prosthetics in the past, that can be blamed. But the fact is there's too much of the Aamir of 3 Idiots in the Aamir of PK, Laal Singh Chaddha, and SZP. I'm rooting for the return of the Aamir who gave me a lump in my throat when he looked skywards in a tough moment in the seemingly simple Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (We Are Travellers on the Path of Love) and asked his dead sister, 'Main kya karoo, Didi?' It hurts to point this out because I'm emotionally invested in the Aamir who constantly shrugs off cliched notions of commercial viability to greenlight films like SZP. Conventional 'wisdom' among India's richest filmmakers is that sensitivity cannot coexist with hilarity. The joyous SZP tosses that 'wisdom' out of the window. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Zepto has slowed, and Aadit Palicha needs more than a big fund raise to fix it Drones have become a winning strategy in war; can they be in investing? How the sinking of MSC Elsa 3 exposed India's maritime blind spots Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro: Are GLP-1 drugs weight loss wonders or health gamble? Darkness at noon: Can this reform succeed after failing four times? Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of more than 29% in 1 year Stock Radar: Nippon Life stock gives a breakout from Cup pattern in June; check target & stop loss for long positions From takeovers to a makeover: Are cement stocks ready for re-rating? 8 cement stocks with upside potential from 6 to 42%
