There was a time when stardom in Hindi cinema felt almost permanent. Once you reached the top, it seemed like it would last forever. But the industry has always moved fast. And sometimes, very quietly, it moves on.
Veteran actor Prem Chopra has seen that shift from close quarters. In a conversation with Vickey Lalwani, he spoke about watching one of the biggest stars of his time, Rajesh Khanna, go through a difficult transition when the spotlight began to shift towards Amitabh Bachchan.
‘Rajesh Khanna started drinking heavily’
Speaking about Rajesh Khanna’s phase of decline, Prem Chopra said the actor never openly discussed what he was going through. But it was visible. You could sense it.
“He didn’t discuss it, but I could feel what was going on. It was difficult for him to digest that failure...to accept this position when he was already a top star, a superstar,” Prem Chopra said.
He also spoke about how such changes often affect actors on a personal level. “He was drinking earlier too, but then he started drinking heavily. This happens everywhere, when such things happen, an actor either drinks more or something goes wrong because they can’t tolerate what they were and what they are now,” he added.
‘The difference between Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan is...’
Prem Chopra then drew a clear comparison between Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, especially in how they handled change.
“The difference between him and Amitabh Bachchan was that Amitabh had accepted, ‘I am not the hero of the picture.’ He didn’t take the film on his shoulders. It was the character he was doing, and his character was outstanding. Every film (of his) was doing so well,” he said.
He also pointed out that this ability to adapt played a big role in Bachchan’s continued success. “He was doing very central characters and had become very popular because of that,” Prem Chopra noted.
‘Amitabh Bachchan walked to Yash Chopra’s house asking for work’
Recalling Amitabh Bachchan’s struggling days, Prem Chopra shared an anecdote that says a lot about his approach to work.
“He himself has said he lost a lot of money, property and all that. But once he got into it, there was no looking back. He walked from his house to Yash Chopra’s house for a role when he had no work. He went and said, ‘I want work,’” Prem Chopra revealed.
He ended by praising Bachchan’s discipline and work ethic. “He is a very hardworking actor. When he comes on set, he comes before time and works on the character he is doing,” he said.
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