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Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha had starred in the blockbuster musical romantic movie, Silsila, in 1981.
Silsila starred Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Jaya Bachchan.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha had starred in the blockbuster musical romantic movie, Silsila, in 1981. While it is celebrated as a cult classic, but filming it came with its challenges. In a 1994 interview with Dinesh Raheja, then editor of Movie magazine, Rekha opened up about an unnerving moment during the intense “I hate you” scene. With 15,000 people present on sets, she had to deliver emotional lines while crying. Yash Chopra turned down her request for extra time, leaving her nervous. Amitabh Bachchan then shared a story about James Dean during Giant. Silsila also starred Jaya Bachchan.
Rekha said, “It was such an intense scene and there were 15,000 people on the location at five in the morning. I had major lines to speak, crying et al. I asked Yashji (Chopra, Director) for time, but he said no. Then Amitji related an incident. He said, James Dean in a film called Giant faced a similar dilemma. He just turned around and did Number 1 (urinated) in front of the crowd. That made him feel on top of the world. James Dean thought to himself, ‘Isse bura kya ho sakta hai?’ and gave a perfect shot.”
Rekha recalled how Amitabh Bachchan’s words helped calm her nerves during an intense scene. She recalled, “I said to Amitji, ‘Excuse me, that really makes me feel better.’ He said, ‘I don’t mean it literally, but you know what I mean, come on. This is acting’.”
As filming began, the crowd went silent. When the scene ended, and Rekha hugged Amitabh, the audience’s reaction was a loud “Ooooh.” Rekha added, “Start, camera, action sunte hi sab chup ho gaye. End mein when I hugged Amitji, toh sab bole, ‘Ooooh’. I had a hard time trying to control my expression.”
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha have long been the subject of rumours about a close relationship, sparked by their on-screen chemistry in Silsila.
