Amitabh Bachchan Stopped Talking To Gulzar Over Rajesh Khanna's Role In Namak Haraam: 'He Felt I Betrayed Him'

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7 days ago

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Tensions ran high on the sets of Namak Haraam as Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan clashed over a key scene. Here's the full story behind their rift.
In the golden era of Bollywood, few rivalries were as talked about as the one between Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Though brief, their competitive dynamic in the 1970s left a lasting mark—and one film, Namak Haraam (1973), became the stage where it all came to a head.
Rajesh Khanna had already achieved massive superstardom by the late 1960s and early '70s. But in 1973, Zanjeer launched Amitabh Bachchan into the spotlight, shifting public attention and sparking comparisons between the two stars. While both actors continued to shine through the decade, industry insiders began to sense that the tide had turned—and Amitabh was now Bollywood's most bankable hero.
It was Namak Haraam, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, that brought the two together on-screen after their 1971 hit Anand. But what promised to be a powerful reunion soon turned into a behind-the-scenes tug of war.
According to reports and accounts shared in Yasser Usman's biography Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar, Rajesh Khanna believed Amitabh was allegedly influencing the director against him. Determined not to be overshadowed, Rajesh allegedly pushed for a major change in the film's climax.
His reasoning came from past experience. In Anand, his emotional death scene had won hearts—and he believed a similar ending would leave a strong impact once again. Gulzar, who wrote Namak Haraam, recalled in the biography: 'In Namak Haraam, we had to change the end because Hrishikesh Mukherjee had promised Rajesh Khanna the death scene."
What Rajesh didn't reveal was that Amitabh wasn't in on the plan. The dramatic change caught him off guard.
'In Hindi films, the one who dies is considered a hero, so both were keen on being heroic. It was only on the day of the shooting that Amitabh finally learnt the truth. He was crestfallen. He was so hurt that he didn't speak to me for several days. He felt I had betrayed him," Gulzar shared in the same book.
The fallout was emotional—and long-lasting. Amitabh reportedly felt betrayed not only by his co-star but also by the filmmaker he trusted.
Rajesh's longtime associate, Prashant Roy, added more detail about the strained relationship in the biography: 'Those days, Kakaji used to be very angry with Amitabh Bachchan. He used to tell his close friends that Hrishikesh Mukherjee is his favourite director, but Amitabh has filled his ears. Kakaji used to say that during the entire shooting of Namak Haraam, Amitabh played dirty politics with him. During my 20 years working with Kakaji, I never saw Amitabh coming to Aashirwaad. Earlier, Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to come quite often, but after Namak Haraam, even his visits were rare."
Despite their massive popularity, the two actors never appeared on-screen together again. Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012 at age 69, while Amitabh continues to be a towering figure in Indian cinema. But for many fans and film historians, Namak Haraam remains the film that quietly ended a powerful onscreen partnership.
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