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Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan started their journey in the movies in the late 1960s. This era belonged to Hindi cinema’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna, and everyone believed that there was no one who could compete at his level. But, times changed and as the new decade rolled around, Kaka’s fortunes started to decline and both Vinod and Amitabh started emerging as worthy competitors.
Khanna’s Anand co-star Amitabh Bachchan–burdened with several failed films–made a blockbuster comeback with his ‘Angry Young Man’ avatar in Zanjeer (1973). At the same time, there was another star in the making–Vinod Khanna. After appearing in several films in supporting roles, he starred as the lead in Gulzar’s Mere Apne (1971), which was an instant hit. However, his antagonistic roles in films like Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Purab Aur Paschim, Sachaa Jhuta and and Rajesh Khanna’s Aan Milo Sajna solidified his reputation as a formidable villain for quite some time. While it took a few films for already-popular Vinod Khanna to establish himself as the main lead, Amitabh Bachchan, by then, was far ahead in the race with hits like Zanjeer and Namak Haram to his credit.
Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in Hera Pheri. (Photo IMDb)
Critics spotted a potential contender to Amitabh Bachchan in Vinod Khanna after they starred together in BR Chopra’s 1975 film Zameer. The competition took an interesting turn when they were cast together for the film Hera Pheri (1976) by Prakash Mehra. However, this time, the casting wasn’t as easy. Rumours suggested that Prakash Mehra wanted to cast Feroz Khan with Amitabh Bachchan but because he refused to work on Sundays, the filmmaker approached Vinod Khanna, who only agreed to work on two conditions: he gets equal footage as Amitabh Bachchan and, gets paid a lakh more than his co-star. After the film was out, performances of both the stars were praised, with critics having a divided opinion over who was better.
Speaking to NDTV, Vinod Khanna said, “I think its the media that created the rivalry. But, we are friends, there is no question about it. It was the fan clubs that made it all about Amitabh Bachchan versus Vinod Khanna.”
Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony. (Photo: IMDb)
The hit duo went on to star in Manmohan Desai’s Parvarish and Amar Akbar Anthony. They marked their sixth collaboration with yet another hit Muqaddar ka Sikandar in 1978, by which time Vinod was starting to wrap up his ongoing film projects as he had decided to quit acting and move to the US to join Rajneesh’s ashram.
“I don’t think there was any fiction. I think we both worked very cordially with each other. Of course, we were very different in the roles we portrayed on screen, but we complimented each other. We both were very wary of the script. So, naturally, we both used to be quite cautious about each other’s roles to make sure that nobody is getting more or less and accordingly we did those films together and we could have gone on and on till I quit”, Vinod Khanna told NDTV.
As Vinod Khanna wasn’t signing any new projects, Bachchan had no competition left in sight which made the solo superstar of the era. Speaking to NDTV, Vinod Khanna said, “I didn’t see any of our films as a launching pad for his (Amitabh Bachchan’s) success at that point in time, but, when I look back now, I see, there were games being played. I was not that kind of a person. I was never a political person in the film industry at all. Neither was I ambitious, who wanted to reach the top. I didn’t have any camp, while the other actors had their group of producers and directors. Yet, I think I demanded my share and I got it, irrespective of the producer and director.”
Vinod Khanna came back to India in the late 1980s but by then, Bachchan’s top spot was solidified. Vinod made a stellar comeback with his hits like Insaaf, Satyamev Jayate, and Dayavan.
Speaking about his co-star’s success, Vinod Khanna told in an interview with News24, “He must steal the show. I don’t feel bad. I think I got the due I deserved. I don’t think those films could have been made without me. I was the only contender to Amitabh Bachchan. There was nobody else. Why should I have thoughts of not being successful? The media always kept the competition alive and healthy. These are just media things, if you will do a poll of 100 people, 50 will vouch for Amitabh and others for Vinod Khanna.”
It is said that had Vinod Khanna not taken a break, he could have remained a formidable competitor to Bachchan. However, after the passing of the actor in 2017, Amitabh Bachchan remembered his dear friend. Taking to his blog, the actor wrote, “I first saw him entering the Ajanta Arts office in Bandra, of Sunil Dutt, where I was making my way to seek a job. A most good looking handsome young man, a body in elegant frame, a swagger in his walk and a gentle smile as he looked towards me. It was 1969.” Recalling his star aura, Bachchan further wrote, “No one walked the way he did. No one had the presence he had in a crowded room. No one could lighten up the surroundings he was in. There is no one like him.”
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