This week(end), Indian cinema celebrates the birthdays of two of its most enduring icons: Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan.
Their on-screen chemistry and off-screen stories have fueled decades of fascination that has become pure Bollywood folklore. But the saga didn't begin with Silsila.
It was director Dulal Guha's Do Anjaane (1976) that sparked it all. The film became a turning point for Rekha. She stepped onto that set, one actress and walked away, another: refined, reinvented, and enamoured. A metamorphosis she credits to her co-star, Amitabh Bachchan.
Every legend has an origin story. For them, it all began with Do Anjaane - literally, Two Strangers.
The Beginning
Rekha stepped into Bollywood with Saawan Bhadon in 1970. The film did well, but the industry and critics were cruel. Her looks, weight, complexion, and even her Hindi were ridiculed. For two years, she signed several films but admitted that she was completely uninterested. Acting bored her.
After the success of her first few films, 18-year-old Rekha bought her own flat in Juhu's Beach Apartments in Bombay. In the same apartment building lived actress Jaya Bhaduri, who had by then firmly established herself as a serious, versatile actress. She had the range to easily fit the needs of commercial as well as "meaningful" cinema.
Rekha and Jaya began their film careers approximately at the same time. Their growth trajectories as actors, however, were starkly different. Neither did Rekha take herself seriously as an actress, nor did the industry.
The chatter surrounding her wasn't really about her work, but rather about her personal life and bold interviews that hogged the limelight. "I treat work as if it is fun. I bunk shooting like girls bunk college. Only they pay money to the colleges. In my case, producers pay me money... I was daring, but I was also petrified of those producers tracing me... hunting for me... phoning me. I would hide at a friend's place and the next day pretend to be sick on the sets."
Whether it was Sunil Dutt or the reigning superstar of that time, Rajesh Khanna, Rekha had the gumption to keep everyone waiting. Once, even Hrishikesh Mukherjee had to abandon a shoot on a set of Namak Haram (1973). Rekha was known to be emotional, sensitive and free-spirited.
Rekha And Jaya: Friends Next Door
At Beach Apartments, Rekha and Jaya would often meet. Rekha affectionately called Jaya "Didi-bai" and frequently went over to Jaya's flat to spend time with her. Even though Rekha and Jaya were competitors of sorts in the industry, Jaya was considered far more talented and was better respected. The latter would advise her on life and career.
It was there that Rekha first met Jaya's boyfriend, Amitabh Bachchan.
The son of famous Hindi poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh started his career with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's Saat Hindustani (1969). The film was a flop, and so were most of the subsequent films in which he played the lead. In fact, so bad was his luck that after being signed for a film with Rekha called Duniya Ka Mela (1974), and even though shooting had started, producer G.M. Roshan, convinced that Amitabh was jinxed, replaced him with actor Sanjay Khan. By then, Amitabh and Rekha had already filmed their first song together, Tauba Tauba, which lives on today on YouTube. But off-screen, the two did not get to interact much.
The author of actor Mehmood's official biography, Hanif Zaveri, told me, "Amitabh and Anwar [Mehmood's brother] were close friends. Anwar told me that he had often taken Amitabh and Jaya on long drives. The two would sit in the front seat of the car along with him, while Rekha would sit in the back seat and they would talk through the journey." The anecdote is also recorded in Mehmood's official biography, Mehmood: A Man of Many Moods.
In 1973, the Amitabh and Jaya starrer Zanjeer was released. After many initial flops, Amitabh made a blockbuster comeback in the industry. His portrayal of the Angry Young Man in Zanjeer set a new benchmark for success and established a new trend in the industry. After the triumph of this film, Amitabh and Jaya decided to get married.
On 3 June 1973, their wedding was solemnised. Rekha, however, had not been invited, which left her feeling sour. In an interview, Rekha expressed resentment at not being called for the wedding: "In spite of all her affectionate show of friendship and all that, she didn't even bother to invite me for her marriage, and my house was in the same building."
The Beginning Of Do Anjaane
Filmmaker Dulal Guha had earlier made Dushman (1972) with Rajesh Khanna and Dost (1974) with Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha. Both films did well at the box office. He now wanted to attempt something unusual. Guha decided to make Do Anjaane (1976), an adaptation of the story Ratrir Yatri by Nihar Ranjan Gupta.
The story was of an ambitious girl who had starry dreams but was married off to a middle-class clerk. Her husband's wealthy friend then lures her, and together they conspire to push him off a running train. The husband survives and later returns to avenge the hideous betrayal. Amitabh Bachchan was signed to play the lead, and his friend's role was given to Prem Chopra. The heroine's character obviously had strong negative strains; by traditional Hindi film standards, she was a vamp.
The role was offered to Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz, but both rejected it, thinking it would ruin their images forever. Then Rekha was approached. After the narration of the script, she predictably wavered and told Guha, "Dada, this is vampish."
Guha insisted that the film centred around the female protagonist and that she would be well remembered for the role. His narration and insistence must have intrigued Rekha. Till then, nobody had discussed the dimensions of a role seriously with her.
Rekha was mostly required only for song-and-dance routines and cliched romantic scenes in most of her films. At that time, she was mostly doing terrible B-grade films like Wo Mai Nahi (1974), Zorro (1975), Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja (1975) and Dafaa 302 (1975).
In big films like Firoz Khan's Dharmatma (1975), she played second fiddle to Hema Malini. Despite having negative shades, this role seemed meatier. It was a risk, though: she could be hated for the negative on-screen characterisation or she could earn some respect as a multi-dimensional actress, something she had always craved. Rekha finally agreed. Do Anjaane had the potential to earn her some credibility as an actress.
Rekha's co-star in the film was Amitabh Bachchan, who was on a roll after Zanjeer and Deewar (1975). Plus, he was Didibai Jaya's husband. By then, the entire film industry was swearing by Amitabh's punctuality and professionalism, rare in the unorganised Hindi film industry.
Gossip magazines thrived on stories about the tantrums of film stars and their incompetence, and Rekha's name constantly popped up in such stories; sincerity and punctuality were certainly not her strong suits. The unit of Do Anjaane was bracing for a clash.
But something altogether unexpected happened.
"Suniye...Zara Dialogue Yaad Kar Lijiyega": The Bachchan Effect
Amitabh always reached the sets on time. He rehearsed his lines and discussed the finer nuances of the character he was playing. His professionalism extended beyond shoot hours, too: he would seldom stay back to party or drink. He chose to leave as soon as work was over and returned on time the next day.
Like everyone else, Rekha, too, was awestruck by Amitabh's persona. In her famous interview on the show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal in 2004, Rekha had said, "Standing in front of Mr Amitabh Bachchan is not easy."
She revealed that she was paranoid. The entire film industry had been singing his praises for his intense portrayal of the Angry Young Man in Deewar. She lightheartedly recalled how she used to forget her lines out of nervousness and how one day, Amitabh told her in his baritone, "Suniye...zara dialogue yaad kar lijiyega." In her own words, on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Rekha described Amitabh as "something I'd never seen before. I've never met anyone like him. How can so many good qualities be bestowed on one person? I'm not a fool, I'm intelligent, or so I'd like to believe. When I see a good thing, I can recognise it."
Amitabh's dedication, sincerity and professionalism won Rekha over completely. He cast a spell on her, and the impact was clear for all to see. Call it the Bachchan effect, but Rekha now started doing something she had never done in life: she arrived on the sets of Do Anjaane on time, at 6 am sharp, much to everyone's surprise. But the change did not end there. She started thinking deeply about the character she was essaying and discussed the finer points of the portrayal, much like Amitabh used to. Here was a man who was charismatic enough to be emulated.
The stage was set for a romance that the industry would not stop talking about for decades.
The Impact Of Do Anjaane
Do Anjaane was based in Calcutta, and a major month-long shoot was planned there. The lead stars of the film were staying at the famous Grand Hotel. Rekha was new to the city, but Amitabh, having worked in Calcutta as an executive in a shipping firm called 'Bird & Co' before he joined films, knew Calcutta inside out. He had, in fact, spent eight long years there between 1962 and '69.
Amitabh, apparently, used to narrate stories about the rustic charms of the city, as Rekha's eyes would be fixed firmly on him. In reports published in film magazines, members of the Do Anjaane unit admitted to post-shoot get-togethers. Rekha often visited the fabled Flurys tea room with Amitabh and Prem Chopra, walked along Park Street and dined out with them. Many of the people associated with the unit of Do Anjaane vividly recalled the stark change they saw in Rekha. She was restrained in front of Amitabh; her youthful vivaciousness was replaced with a more measured gait.
The Do Anjaane Effect
Released on 1 January 1976, Do Anjaane wasn't a blockbuster, but the unusual storyline, powerful performances and Dulal Guha's crisp direction were commended in the industry and by critics.
The film remains underrated, partly also because it has been overshadowed by Amitabh's iconic blockbusters of this period: Sholay (1975), Deewaar (1975) and Kabhi Kabhie (1976). Films like Adalat (1976) and Do Anjaane, though critically acclaimed, didn't get much print space or audiences. There was, however, something about Do Anjaane that didn't go unnoticed.
For the first time in Rekha's career, she was taken seriously as an actress. Film World magazine reported, "Rekha has done it. Smoothly, successfully. From a plump, pelvis-jerking, cleavage-flashing temptress, she has metamorphosed into a sleek, accomplished actress. Gone are most of the inane mannerisms, pouts, wiggles and giggles."
The report noted that her career prospects were significantly improved, as leading filmmakers had started taking note of her and were said to be keen to have her in their films. There were many other reviews on similar lines. Everyone was praising Rekha's performance and chemistry with Amitabh. This had never happened before.
Just this one film had led to newfound respect for Rekha. And Rekha gave the entire credit for this to Amitabh. He became the symbol of everything she had ever wanted in a man, and Rekha was slowly falling in love with him.
"The fact that he was a married man doesn't make any kind of a difference. A rose is a rose is a rose. A human being is interesting, period. I want to have the honour of being associated with this person, so what is stopping me? I'm not here to 'break' his home, so to speak. I'm here to be one of the lesser mortals who can just have a whiff of him and feel happy," Rekha later said in Rendezvous With Simi Garewal.
The Transformation
Around 1976, in her early twenties, Rekha set out to reinvent herself. Her look, her craft, and the way the world saw her. The catalyst was her growing association with Amitabh Bachchan. Gone was the free-spirited girl who took life as it came, seldom planned for the future, and didn't care about her career trajectory. Rekha was no longer okay with struggling with Hindi, English and Urdu. She worked on, like never before. She was not just focused on crafting a new face and look but on carving out a brand new personality.
Rekha's transformation was a classic filmi story of a plain Jane turning into a glamorous diva. Rekha followed a strict diet and a rigorous exercise routine. She led a disciplined life and even practised yoga - this was unheard of in the 1970s. In many ways, Rekha was a trendsetter, a trailblazer. Makeup, too, became a serious craft. Tired of theatrical, exaggerated techniques in Bollywood, she reportedly travelled to London to learn the art at The Make-up School.
The transformation made headlines, but Rekha always credited Amitabh. She described him as the strongest influence in her adult life, comparable only to her mother in her youth. "It is the strongest influence in my adult life, just like my mother was in my adolescence. From him I learnt punctuality, silence, discipline, dedication, concentration and professionalism. He influenced my behaviour and lifestyle. I became a vegetarian and stopped living dangerously. The enchanting thing is that with him, it's not just the change but even the process of changing that has been beautiful," she said in an interview.
They were now Bollywood's sizzling pair and had signed many films, including Prakash Mehra's Khoon Pasina (1977), Hrishikesh Mukherji's Alaap (1977), Immaan Dharam (1977) and Ganga Ki Saugandh (1978). Rekha made sure that stories of her and the Superstar were never out of circulation.
It was clear that from Do Anjaane, they were no longer strangers.