A resurfaced 2004 Rediff interview has reignited fascination with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha chemistry, as the evergreen actress candidly admitted that working closely with Big B left an indelible mark on her own style and performances. “When we started working together, we were at a very impressionable stage. Each one left his or her impression on the other,” Rekha said, recalling the 1970s-80s era when Amitabh’s iconic angry-young-man persona dominated Indian cinema.

She openly acknowledged his influence: “If you saw a crowd in those days from a top angle, you just saw a whole sea of heads with the Amitabh hairstyle… I do not deny that his unique style was sometimes seen in my performances.” Rekha described the greatest compliment she ever received from him as simply “the opportunity to work with a great co-star like him,” emphasizing how their on-screen partnership elevated her craft.

The duo delivered unforgettable films like Do Anjaane (1976), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Suhaag (1979), Ram Balram (1980), and the cult classic Silsila (1981), where Yash Chopra famously mirrored their rumored real-life romance on screen. Though Silsila was a commercial flop at the time, it has since become one of Bollywood’s most enduring love stories, largely because of the electric, unspoken tension between Amitabh, Jaya Bachchan, and Rekha.

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Decades later, Rekha’s rare admission remains one of the most graceful acknowledgments of how two cinematic giants shaped each other during their peak years, even as they maintained dignified silence on personal rumors. As clips from the old interview go viral again, a new generation is rediscovering why the Amitabh-Rekha pairing continues to be Indian cinema’s most celebrated “what-if.”

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