Amitabh Bachchan Said He Became Important After Anand Due To Rajesh Khanna: 'People Asked Me How He Looked...'
Anand, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starred Rajesh Khanna as a terminally ill man who inspires his doctor, played by Amitabh Bachchan.
Anand, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, is a beloved classic in Hindi cinema. The film tells the heartwarming story of Anand, a terminally ill man played by Rajesh Khanna. His lively spirit and love for life impact everyone around him. Despite his illness, Anand inspires his doctor, Bhaskar, played by Amitabh Bachchan. The film beautifully explores themes of friendship, love, and the inevitability of death.
READ MORE: Rajesh Khanna Did Anand for FREE but Earned 10 Times More Than His Fee Would Have Been
related stories
In a joint interview for the 1990 edition of Movie magazine, Amitabh Bachchan shared his thoughts about working with Rajesh Khanna, fondly known as Kaka. Amitabh said that being invited by Hrishikesh Mukherjee to work with Khanna on Anand was a dream come true. Mentioned Kaka’s huge popularity, Big B said that he became famous largely because he worked with him. “When Hrishida asked me to work with Rajesh Khanna in Anand, it was a dream come true for me. The hysteria that be evoked was witnessed for the first time in the history of Hindi films. I got famous purely because I was working with Rajesh Khanna. People came and asked me questions like ‘How does he look?’, ‘What does he do?’ So I became very important, thanks to him. I have always had the greatest respect for Kaka," he had recalled.
Rajesh Khanna remembered that when he watched Namak Haram at a trial screening at Liberty cinema, he knew his time at the top was ending. He remembered, “When I saw Namak Haram at a trial at Liberty cinema, I knew my time was up. I told Hrishida, ‘Here is the superstar of tomorrow.’ When it was Amitabh Bachchan at the top, no other star came anywhere near. You were Number 1 to 10, the next one was Number 11. Before that, there was only Rajesh Khanna."
Before Rajesh Khanna landed the role, director Hrishikesh Mukherjee had his eyes on Kishore Kumar and Dharmendra for Anand. In fact, the filmmaker even shared the story with Dharmendra during a flight from Chennai to Mumbai. But, in a twist of fate, Mukherjee decided to go with Rajesh Khanna instead.
Anand became a cult for its emotional depth, memorable dialogues such as “Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi", and its timeless music by Salil Chowdhury.
- Location :
- First Published: