When Rajesh Khanna disapproved of Amitabh Bachchan's 'Mere Angne Mein': 'I will never compromise on my dignity and don a saree'

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan were fierce competitors in Bollywood during the late 1970s. Amitabh's portrayal of the 'Angry Young Man' solidified his position in Indian cinema, while Rajesh Khanna had the midas touch. However, Rajesh encountered some setbacks in the industry while Amitabh's career was soaring. It was during this time that Rajesh expressed disdain towards Amitabh's movie 'Laawaris' and the chartbuster song 'Mere Angne Mein' from the film.In the song 'Mere Angne Mein,' Amitabh was depicted wearing a saree, adorned with makeup, kajal, lipstick, and more, dancing to his own voice. Rajesh found this lacking in dignity. According to Yasser Usman in his book 'Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India's First Superstar,' Rajesh conveyed to a film magazine that he would never compromise his dignity by wearing a saree for money and fame.In 1981, the movie 'Laawaris,' featuring Bachchan and Zeenat Aman and directed by Prakash Mehra, gained immense popularity. Other Bachchan starrers like 'Kaalia,' 'Yaarana,' and 'Naseeb' were also hits that year, establishing Bachchan as the biggest star. In contrast, Rajesh starred in 'Kudrat,' which didn't match the success of Bachchan's movies. His next hit, 'Avatar,' was released in 1983.Amitabh and Rajesh's first on-screen collaboration was in 'Anand,' before Amitabh became a superstar, while Rajesh was already a renowned actor. However, a few years later, when they both appeared in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Namak Haraam,' it seemed like Rajesh was acknowledging Amitabh as the new superstar.Rajesh Khanna mentioned in an interview with movie magazine that upon watching 'Namak Haraam' at Liberty cinema, he realized his time was up. He told Hrishida, 'Here is the superstar of tomorrow.' Following 'Namak Haraam,' they never shared the screen in any more movies.