“Rajesh Khanna was difficult to work with. Those were the times when a…”, says Javed Akhtar : Bollywood News

Javed Akhtar, part of the legendary writing duo Salim-Javed, recently reflected on his experiences of working with the three biggest superstars of Indian cinema—Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, and Amitabh Bachchan. During a conversation on the SAM YouTube channel, Akhtar shared that of the three, Rajesh Khanna was the most difficult to work with due to his constant entourage of 'yes men.'

“Rajesh Khanna was difficult to work with. Those were the times when a…”, says Javed Akhtar

Akhtar recalled the incredible popularity of Khanna, saying, “Those were the times when a child born in India would say ‘Rajesh Khanna’ first and then ‘mumma, papa’. But it was a short period.” He noted that as time passed, it became increasingly hard to collaborate with Khanna, as he was always surrounded by ‘sycophants’, making work challenging. He continued, “There came a time when we realised that it would be difficult for us to work together because he was surrounded by so many people, so many sycophants and yes men, it was difficult to work with him. So, we parted ways.”

Amitabh Bachchan: The perfect fit for Salim-Javed's scripts
The duo eventually parted ways with Khanna but remained friendly, even working on a film together later. However, the kind of films they envisioned were more suited for someone like Amitabh Bachchan. “He was not a superstar at that time, to say the least, but he was an unbelievably good actor,” Akhtar remarked, sharing how they believed Bachchan could perfectly embody the roles they were writing. This belief led to several iconic collaborations between Salim-Javed and Amitabh, including hits like Sholay, Deewar, and Don.

Bachchan’s versatility praised by Javed Akhtar
Praising Bachchan’s versatility, Akhtar added, “If you’re working with actors like Amitabh Bachchan or Dilip Kumar, you know that you can put the weight on the actor, and the actor will carry it.” He elaborated that while some actors have limited talent, requiring easier scenes, actors like Bachchan could handle any role or dialogue with effortless competence.

Salim-Javed’s partnership yielded 24 films, 22 of which were hits, making them the most sought-after writers in the industry. Their filmography includes celebrated titles like Haathi Mere Saathi, Andaz, Seeta aur Geeta, and Kranti.

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