Actor Prem Chopra reflected on working with superstars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan and spoke about how only one of them was able to sustain their stardom while the other couldn’t come to terms with the fact that he’d outgrown heroic roles. While Amitabh Bachchan is still working as actively as ever, the late Rajesh Khanna clung on to the past even when it became clear that he was no longer the bankable star he used to be.
In an interview with ‘Bollywood Thikana’, Prem Chopra, who is best known for his villainous roles, said that Rajesh Khanna also had a reputation for being tardy, which no producer could confront him about, considering his stature in the industry. He said that the superstar wasn’t able to evolve with the times, even as Amitabh successfully transitioned to character roles.
He said in Hindi, “He tried to retain his old style, but the audience didn’t accept it. Those movies didn’t work. He couldn’t face the fact that he wasn’t the superstar that he used to be. But Amitabh was different. He was a superstar for so many years, but he moved on to character roles at the right time. I am sometimes surprised, at this age, he is busier than he was before.”
Recalling an anecdote from the sets of ‘Haathi Mere Saathi’, Chopra said that the producer, who was a bit of a ruffian, had hired a man just to beat him up whenever Rajesh Khanna showed up late to set. Because the producer couldn’t confront the star about his tardiness, he’d make a show of beating up the man he’d hired just to send Rajesh a message. “In Chennai, they are very punctual. If your call time is 9, you have to be on set by 8:30. Rajesh Khanna would show up at noon. Nobody could say anything to him. But when he would arrive, the producer would beat up this man he’d hired and yell at him in front of everybody. Rajesh Khanna got the hint and started arriving on time a few days later,” he said.