‘I was the only contender to Amitabh Bachchan’: Vinod Khanna believed ‘games were being played’ for the top spot among Bollywood camps 

Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan successful Hera Pheri. (Photo IMDb)

Critics spotted a imaginable contender to Amitabh Bachchan successful Vinod Khanna aft they starred unneurotic successful BR Chopra’s 1975 movie Zameer. The contention took an absorbing crook erstwhile they were formed unneurotic for the movie Hera Pheri (1976) by Prakash Mehra. However, this time, the casting wasn’t arsenic easy. Rumours suggested that Prakash Mehra wanted to formed Feroz Khan with Amitabh Bachchan but due to the fact that helium refused to enactment connected Sundays, the filmmaker approached Vinod Khanna, who lone agreed to enactment connected 2 conditions: helium gets adjacent footage arsenic Amitabh Bachchan and, gets paid a lakh much than his co-star. After the movie was out, performances of some the stars were praised, with critics having a divided sentiment implicit who was better.

Speaking to NDTV, Vinod Khanna said, “I deliberation its the media that created the rivalry. But, we are friends, determination is nary question astir it. It was the instrumentality clubs that made it each astir Amitabh Bachchan versus Vinod Khanna.”

Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan successful Amar Akbar Anthony. (Photo: IMDb)

The deed duo went connected to prima successful Manmohan Desai’s Parvarish and Amar Akbar Anthony. They marked their sixth collaboration with yet different deed Muqaddar ka Sikandar successful 1978, by which clip Vinod was starting to wrapper up his ongoing movie projects arsenic helium had decided to discontinue acting and determination to the US to articulation Rajneesh’s ashram.

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“I don’t deliberation determination was immoderate fiction. I deliberation we some worked precise cordially with each other. Of course, we were precise antithetic successful the roles we portrayed connected screen, but we complimented each other. We some were precise wary of the script. So, naturally, we some utilized to beryllium rather cautious astir each other’s roles to marque definite that cipher is getting much oregon little and accordingly we did those films unneurotic and we could person gone connected and connected till I quit”, Vinod Khanna told NDTV.

As Vinod Khanna wasn’t signing immoderate caller projects, Bachchan had nary contention near successful show which made the solo superstar of the era. Speaking to NDTV, Vinod Khanna said, “I didn’t spot immoderate of our films arsenic a launching pad for his (Amitabh Bachchan’s) occurrence astatine that constituent successful time, but, erstwhile I look backmost now, I see, determination were games being played. I was not that benignant of a person. I was ne'er a governmental idiosyncratic successful the movie manufacture astatine all. Neither was I ambitious, who wanted to scope the top. I didn’t person immoderate camp, portion the different actors had their radical of producers and directors. Yet, I deliberation I demanded my stock and I got it, irrespective of the shaper and director.”

Vinod Khanna came backmost to India successful the precocious 1980s but by then, Bachchan’s apical spot was solidified. Vinod made a stellar comeback with his hits similar Insaaf, Satyamev Jayate, and Dayavan.

Speaking astir his co-star’s success, Vinod Khanna told successful an interrogation with News24, “He indispensable bargain the show. I don’t consciousness bad. I deliberation I got the owed I deserved. I don’t deliberation those films could person been made without me. I was the lone contender to Amitabh Bachchan. There was cipher else. Why should I person thoughts of not being successful? The media ever kept the contention live and healthy. These are conscionable media things, if you volition bash a canvass of 100 people, 50 volition vouch for Amitabh and others for Vinod Khanna.”

It is said that had Vinod Khanna not taken a break, helium could person remained a formidable rival to Bachchan. However, aft the passing of the histrion successful 2017, Amitabh Bachchan remembered his beloved friend. Taking to his blog, the histrion wrote, “I archetypal saw him entering the Ajanta Arts bureau successful Bandra, of Sunil Dutt, wherever I was making my mode to question a job. A astir bully looking handsome young man, a assemblage successful elegant frame, a swagger successful his locomotion and a gentle grin arsenic helium looked towards me. It was 1969.” Recalling his prima aura, Bachchan further wrote, “No 1 walked the mode helium did. No 1 had the beingness helium had successful a crowded room. No 1 could lighten up the surroundings helium was in. There is nary 1 similar him.”