Though Indian cinema has seen many iconic on-screen couples — from Raj Kapoor-Nargis, Dilip Kumar-Vyjayanthimala and Guru Dutt-Waheeda Rehman, to Kamal Haasan-Sridevi, Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol and Mohanlal-Shobana — it’s doubtful if any have generated as many headlines as Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. Both their sizzling on-screen chemistry and rumoured romantic relationship off-screen grabbed considerable attention and remains a hot topic to this day, even though the two haven’t worked together in 43 years since Silsila (1981). Nonetheless, the films they did together, such as Do Anjaane (1976), Alaap (1977), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) and Mr Natwarlal (1979), still remain fan favourites and helped cement their status in Bollywood.

In fact, Rekha once described Bachchan, who turns 82 today, as her “school, college and university” in acting, crediting him with much of her own growth as a performer. She shared that he has left a lasting impression on her from the moment she saw his performance in Parwana alongside Yogeeta Bali, who apparently introduced them at Madras airport. In a 2006 interview with Filmfare for Bachchan’s 64th birthday, she said, “Whatever I am as an actor, I owe 100 per cent to him. I just soaked in whatever he had to offer just observing him.”

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“The irony is that he was totally oblivious of the impact he had on mine or anybody else’s life. Just his presence and spirit contributed to my métier as an actor and as a human being. He’s like my inner conscience which guides me through life and my performances,” she added.

Although there has been much speculation about why they never reunited on screen after Silsila, Rekha’s remarks suggest that working together has never been off the table for them and it’s just that the right opportunities never came their way.

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“My loss is that I didn’t get a chance to share the phenomenal growth of Amitji as an actor. So would you blame me for being thrilled when his producers requested me to dub for Neetu Singh in Yaaraana, Sridevi in Aakhri Raasta, Jayasudha and the late Soundarya in Sooryavansham?”

“When fans write to me and question why we haven’t worked together after Silsila, the only rational answer that I can think of is that the wait to be able to co-star with Amitji is worth it. That everything happens for the right reason at the right time. And I’d attribute that to the better judgment of the directors who believe that they’ve yet to come across something worthy of our calibre. I truly believe that sabr ka phal meetha hota hai (patience’s fruit is sweet). In this case, time is not of the essence. That I know for sure,” the National Award-winning actor said, adding that she hopes everyone is as lucky as she has been to have a role model like Amitabh Bachchan in their lives.

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