Jaya Bachan fought with Rajesh Khanna after he insulted Amitabh Bachchan, says Master Raju: ‘He didn’t want to be replaced by Big B’

Jaya Bachchan clashed with Rajesh Khanna over Amitabh Bachchan

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, he said, “There was an argument and the shooting had also stopped, I only remember something like this because Bawarchi is a very old film. That fight was regarding Amitabh Bachchan. Jayaji was friendly with Amit Ji and Amitabh was also close to Rishi Kapoor and he was doing a film with him. Rajesh Khanna had his own problem.”

Raju shared how Rajesh Khanna didn’t like the fact that Amitabh Bachchan was gaining popularity fast at that time and was challenging his “first superstar” status. “He didn’t want anyone to replace him, and Amitabh Bachchan was coming up with a lot of force. Rajesh Khanna said something against Amitabh Bachchan to Jaya ji and that’s when they fought and the shooting was halted.”

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For the unversed, after Amitabh Bachchan’s Zanjeer released in theatres in 1973, the tide began shifting from Rajesh Khanna to Big B. With films like Sholay, Deewar and Namak Haraam, Amitabh replaced Rajesh as the superstar of that time.

Rajesh Khanna refused to come down to meet son-in-law Akshay Kumar

Raju shared another instance of Khanna’s ego that he reportedly maintained even in front of his family. Recalling an incident involving the late star and his son-in-law, actor Akshay Kumar, he said, “I have heard another instance about him when Akshay Kumar went to his home to meet him, and Rajesh Khanna was sitting upstairs in some room, and somebody informed him that Akshay Kumar has come to meet him. His reaction was, ‘Main uska sasur hoon, woh aayega mere paas, main kyun jaoon (I am his father-in-law, he will come to me, why should I go?)”

Rajesh Khanna refused to recognise Raju after years of working with him

Sharing another instance of Khanna’s mighty attitude, Raju said, “Rajesh Khanna worked in a serial, and I worked in the direction team of that show, so I would meet him regularly at his office. Still, he refused to recognise me. After a year of working with him, one day, he called me by my name.”

He added, “I was surprised that he knows my name, and when I asked the director about it, he confirmed that the veteran actor recognises me, and he also often talks about me and how he has worked with me when I was a child artist, but Rajesh Khanna never showed this to me. He had this attitude. I don’t know why, but he would think that why should I talk nicely to this person or why should I give him respect?”

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Rajesh would come to set only after producer fetched him; Hema Malini kept waiting

Sharing an instance of Khanna’s starry tantrum and how he would come to the set only if the producer drove all the way to fetch him, Raju said, “During the shooting of the film, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein at China Creek, that area at that time was outside Bombay and there was a single dirt track that went to that area. All the actors, including Hema Malini, and myself would reach in the morning.”

He added, “Rajesh Khanna was the lead actor of the film, so producer used to go to his house to fetch him up. We used to keep sitting and waiting for him. Also, we got to know whether Rajesh Khanna is coming to the set by the speed of the car. If the speed is high, that means that Rajesh Khanna is coming behind, and if the speed is slow that means Khanna is not coming today and the producer is bringing this bad news, and he’s going to declare pack up.”