Even though Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s 1981 blockbuster Silsila is a cult film, it had its own challenges during the shoot. In an earlier interview, Rekha opened up about how an intense scene was particularly difficult to shoot in the presence of 15,000 people on the set, but her co-star Amitabh Bachchan calmed her down.
“It was such an intense scene and there were 15,000 people on the location at five in the morning. I had major lines to speak, crying et al. I asked Yashji for time, but he said no,” Rekha revealed.
At this point, Amitabh Bachchan quipped in to ease her nervousness.
“Then Amitji related an incident. He said, James Dean in a film called Giant faced a similar dilemma. He just turned around and did Number 1 (urinated) in front of the crowd. That made him feel on top of the world. James Dean thought to himself, ‘Isse bura kya ho sakta hai? (What can be worse than this?)’ and gave a perfect shot,” she humourously added.
This story really helped her calm down.
“I said to Amitji, ‘Excuse me, that really makes me feel better.’ He said, ‘I don’t mean it literally, but you know what I mean, come on. This is acting,'” she added.
After the shot, Rekha hugged Amitabh as a sign of gratitude, which led to the crowd erupting in excitement.
“Start, camera, action sunte hi sab chup ho gaye (as soon they heard, everyone fell silent). End mein when I hugged Amitji, toh sab bole (then everyone said), ‘Ooooh’. I had a hard time trying to control my expression,” she revealed.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s on-screen chemistry in Silsila led to a lot of rumours about the veteran actors over the years. Apart from Silsila, they have also appeared in a number of other films together, like Do Anjaane, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, and more.
