Superstar
Amitabh Bachchan turned 80 on Tuesday, October 11. Bachchan, who is one of India’s
most popular film stars of all time, was the most sought after actor in the
late 70s and early 80s. He portrayed angry young man characters in his youth
while with age he transcended into mature roles. In his prime, he co-starred
alongside many famous actresses of the day such as Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman,
Rekha, Parveen Babi etc. However, his
association with Rekha was highly talked about.

A look at some of Amitabh- Rekha films

Rekha and
Amitabh shared screen space for the first time in Namak Haram (1973). However,
she was cast as the romantic interest of the film’s lead actor, Rajesh Khanna
and hence it cannot be considered as their first film together. Amitabh and Rekha
starred opposite each other for the first time in Do Anjaane (1976) and since
then continued to play as the lead romantic pair in several films. However, they failed to act together after Silsila. A few of
their notable films are listed here.

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Do Anjaane
(1976) – The film directed by Dulal Guha revolves around the life of a man who
has lost his memory and his reengagements with his wife and his friend, six
years later. Upon learning that his friend is responsible for an assassination attempt
on him, the man plans revenge and wins in the end.

Muqaddar ka
Sikandar (1978) – This film was directed by Prakash Mehra and starred Amitabh
Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rekha, Amjad Khan in leading roles. The film revolves
around the risky lives of Sikandar ( Bachchan), his friend Vishal Anand
(Khanna) and their common love interest kaamna (Rakhee). Playing the role of a
courtesan who loves Siakndar but in whom Sikandar isn’t romantically inclined,
Rekha comes up with a brilliant performance with the song featuring her, “
Salaam ae ishq meri jaan” reaching cult status.

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Silsila
(1981) – Directed by Yash Chopra and starring  Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha in
key roles, the movie was the topic of hot gossips at the time of its release. As
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha were widely believed to have been in a relationship
at the time, their film that too with Amitabh’s wife Jaya, naturally created a
lot of curiosity. The film’s plot, also revolving around relations, marriages,
commitment etc was seen as further inducement for gossips and speculations.
Upon release however, the film failed to generate much buzz at the box office.

Mr
Natwarlal  (1979) – It is an
action-comedy film starring Bachchan and Rekha in key roles. Having seen his
brother, Giridharlal being wrongly castigated and sent to jail, Natwar swears
to seek revenge against Vikram ( Amjad Khan)who is responsible for this. Years later, Natwar
disguises as the notorious criminal Mr Natwarlal and seeks revenge on Vikram.