‘There was some relationship’: When Amitabh Bachchan left Shabana Azmi’s birthday party immediately after seeing Rekha | Hindi Movie News
Bollywood’s golden era of the 1970s saw Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha making their mark as rising stars. While fans admired their on-screen pairings, whispers of a possible off-screen connection grew louder. They shared screen space in nearly a dozen films, including ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’, ‘Do Anjaane’, ‘Namak Haraam’, and ‘Mr Natwarlal’, and their chemistry became the talk of the town.
Rumours intensified after ‘Silsila’
The rumours gained even more attention when Yash Chopra made ‘Silsila’, a film about an extramarital affair starring Amitabh, Jaya, and Rekha. The storyline mirrored the speculations about their real lives, raising eyebrows across the industry and among fans. After ‘Silsila’, Amitabh and Rekha never shared screen space again, but the stories and gossip continued to follow them.
Amar Singh shared a party anecdote
Years later, politician Amar Singh, once close to the Bachchan family, revealed a telling story in Yasser Usman’s book Rekha: The Untold Story. As quoted by Indian Express, he said, “Once, Shabana Azmi invited us for her birthday. I reached her house along with Jaya and Amitabh. We reached on time, and Amitabh told his driver to go eat since they would take long. Upon reaching inside, we saw Rekha was already present there. As soon as Amitji saw Rekha, he immediately returned outside.”
Amitabh Bachchan left the party
Since Bachchan’s driver had gone to get some food, Amar Singh recalled that Amitabh hailed a cab and left immediately. “The driver had gone to eat food, so we hailed a taxi, hastily boarded it, and returned home.” Singh admitted he never mentioned the incident again but wondered why Bachchan didn’t stay to wish Shabana.Singh further added, “This hints that there was some relationship… If there was no relationship, he could have at least wished Shabana ji and indulged in a cordial conversation with Rekha.” The episode suggested that Amitabh might have preferred to avoid Rekha rather than risk an awkward encounter.
Amitabh Bachchan on the work front
Amitabh Bachchan was last seen in ‘Vettaiyan’ with Rajinikanth, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, and Ritika Singh. He will next be seen in Ribhu Dasgupta’s ‘Section 84’ with Diana Penty and Nimrat Kaur. Currently, he is hosting season 17 of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.
