Rekha Once Said She ‘Copied' Amitabh Bachchan Under His Influence: 'When We Started…'
Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan lit up the screen in classics like Silsila and Do Anjaane — but she later revealed just how deeply he shaped her as an actor.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha's on-screen chemistry is one of the most talked-about dynamics in Bollywood history. Their pairing, especially in Silsila (1981), became a cultural phenomenon — fuelling decades of headlines on their alleged love affair, fan theories and public fascination. While Silsila is often seen as their most iconic film together, Amitabh and Rekha starred in several other Hindi movies that captured their electric screen presence. Some of the most popular Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha films include Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Suhaag (1979), Do Anjaane (1976), and Ram Balram (1980).
Their Bollywood pairing defined an era, with audiences drawn to their onscreen chemistry and the mystery that surrounded their off-screen relationship. In a rare interview with Rediff, Rekha spoke about working with Amitabh Bachchan and the lasting impact he had on her performances.
While both have largely kept silent about the love affair rumours that even Jaya Bachchan spoke of, Rekha has, on rare occasions, spoken about the deep professional influence Big B had on her as an actor — and one such moment came during an old interview with Rediff.
When asked about the common observation that traces of Amitabh Bachchan's style could be seen in some of her own performances, Rekha didn't shy away from the comparison. 'I don't deny that. When a critic pointed out that I had copied him in Madam X, I agreed," she said candidly.
Looking back at their early years in the film industry, she explained how working closely with Amitabh Bachchan at that stage inevitably leaves a lasting impact. 'Look, when we started working together, we were at a very impressionable stage," she said. 'Each one left his or her impression on the other."
She even recalled how much of a cultural icon Bachchan had become during that era — not just for co-stars, but for the entire public. 'If you saw a crowd in those days from a top angle, you just saw a whole sea of heads with the Amitabh hairstyle," she added.
Having acted alongside him in about 10 films early in her career, Rekha said it was natural for some of that influence to show up in her own craft. 'I worked with him in 10 films at an early stage of my career, spanning over so many years. How can I not be influenced?"
While rumours of their off-screen love story continued to make the rounds, it never culminated into anything. Amitabh Bachchan is married to Jaya Bachchan and have two children – Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan. Rekha was briefly married to industrialist Mukesh Agarwal in 1990, the marriage ended tragically with his death the following year.
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