“Amitabh Bachchan Asked If He Could Come With A Friend & That Friend Was Rekha,” Vidhu Vinod Chopra Recalls Where The Silsila Couple Headed Next [After A Heated Argument]!
Vidhu Vinod Chopra recalled how he met Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha and Hrishikesh Mukherjee for the first time. Here's what exactly happened.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra In An Interview Recalled His First Meeting With Amitabh Bachchan. (Photo Credit – IMDb)
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Vidhu Vinod Chopra is one of the most successful filmmakers in Hindi Cinema, and his last directorial film, 12th Fail, was a success. His most recent work as a producer is the documentary Zero Se Restart, which focuses on the making of 12th Fail. The filmmaker, once recalled how he first met Amitabh Bachchan with Rekha.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra met Sr Bachchan for the first time on the sets of the 1977 film Alaap Probably, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starring Rekha in the lead along with Big B. Chopra was there to show him his first film. He told everyone that he had booked the screening place until 5 p.m., and the film could be watched only then.
In a recent interview (via News18), the director said, “Now, Amitabh, Hrishi da, and Rekha are all busy working, and I notice there’s some argument happening. Around 4, I started to feel that he wouldn’t get the time to watch my film. A little while later, I left. I was sitting outside, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Amitabh Bachchan. He asked, ‘You have the booking till 5? Let’s go.”
When Amitabh Bachchan Took Rekha To Watch Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s First Film
The filmmaker next revealed that the Silsila actor asked for a favor as he wanted to take a friend along. No points for guessing who the friend was. Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, “He asked if he could bring a friend along with him, and the friend was Rekha. He was angry because of the argument earlier, and we all got into the famous trailer.”
In the same interview, the filmmaker revealed that after watching his first film, Amitabh Bachchan was keen on working with him. But he got an offer from Doordarshan that paid him Rs 5000 for a chauffeur-driven car. He grabbed the opportunity to drop the Sholay actor’s proposal.
Years later, the two collaborated on Eklavya, which also starred Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, and Sharmila Tagore.
