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An old clip from Silsila featuring Jaya Bachchan and Rekha has resurfaced, reigniting conversation around Yash Chopra’s casting coup.
Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha worked in Silsila.
Amitabh Bachchan has been one of the most iconic stars of Indian cinema, and over the decades, his name has often been associated with various co-stars. Among them, the most talked-about dynamic has remained the one between Amitabh, his wife Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan), and actress Rekha. While most of the buzz has remained speculative and unverified, it is the film Silsila that brought the trio together onscreen, a casting decision that has fascinated audiences for decades.
Released in 1981, Silsila was directed by the late Yash Chopra, who took on the bold challenge of casting Amitabh, Jaya, and Rekha in roles that mirrored the speculated real-life dynamics between them. Amitabh played a playwright, Amit, torn between his loyalty to his wife Shobha (played by Jaya) and lingering feelings for his former lover Chandni (played by Rekha).
Recently, a scene from Silsila resurfaced on Instagram, where Rekha and Jaya’s characters have a powerful face-off about love, loyalty and fate. “Unka daaman chorr dijiye,” says Jaya’s character, to which Rekha’s character replies, “Ye mere bass mein nahi hai. Aur jo mere bass mein nahi wo main kaise kar sakti hu.” Jaya’s character affirms, “Amit mere pati hai wo mera dharm hai,” and Rekha responds, “Wo mera pyaar hai aur mera pyaar meri kismat ban chuka hai.”
The overlay text on the viral video reads, “It still blows my mind that Yash Chopra was able to convince the two to do this scene.”
The scene has drawn a fresh wave of appreciation, with social media users remarking, “The time when actors were not acting,” and “When cinema was at its peak.”
Yash Chopra, who directed Silsila shortly after his multi-starrer Kaala Patthar didn’t fare well commercially, had envisioned Silsila as his big comeback. According to reports, Amitabh agreed to the film immediately. However, the casting of Rekha was seen as a bold move, especially given media reports that claimed Amitabh had once vowed not to work with her again.
In what would be his last television interview before his passing, Chopra told Shah Rukh Khan, “It was one of the most interesting, one of the biggest, one of the most challenging casts in a film ever done in the history of Indian cinema.”
Shrishti Negi is a journalist with over eight years of experience in the media industry. She leads the Entertainment desk at News18.com. She writes breaking news stories, generates feature ideas, edits copies, …Read More
Shrishti Negi is a journalist with over eight years of experience in the media industry. She leads the Entertainment desk at News18.com. She writes breaking news stories, generates feature ideas, edits copies, … Read More
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