It was July 18, 2012, and Mumbai stood still as Rajesh Khanna’s funeral procession moved through the city. Fans and industry colleagues gathered quietly, watching the final journey of Bollywood’s superstar.

Amitabh Bachchan also reached the actor’s bungalow, standing among family and close friends. He remained still as the last rites were performed for the man who once ruled Hindi cinema.

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan had a shared history between them. The two were often seen as rivals, but the relationship between the two actors was layered.

While Khanna ruled Hindi cinema at the turn of the 1970s, the release of Zanjeer in 1973 changed a lot of things in the industry overnight. Big B emerged as a powerful new force and soon, stardom began to tit.

Despite the professional rivalry, the two actors shared mutual respect. The two even worked together in films like Anand and Namak Haram.

Recently, theatre owner and producer Manoj Desai recalled Big B’s poignant words at Khanna’s funeral. Talking to Vickey Lalwani, he recounted sitting next to the actor and what he said.

Describing the atmosphere at Khanna’s bungalow, Manoj said that the family was waiting before taking the actor’s mortal remains to the cremation ground. That’s when Big B turned to him and said something he could not forget.

He shared, “Amitabh ji turned to me and said, ‘I had waited for 2 hours for this man on set, now look at the same man.’ I told him everyone will meet the same fate.”

After Namak Haraam, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna never shared screen space again. It is believed that the powerful pairing quietly ended amid tension, marking a turning point in their professional relationship.

During the film’s shoot, Rajesh Khanna reportedly made bitter remarks about Big B and accused him of indulging in “dirty politics” behind the scenes.

These details are mentioned in Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar, where author Yasir Usman writes that Khanna believed Bachchan was undermining him during a phase of changing stardom.

Rajesh Khanna, in one of his interviews, also admitted that he was jealous of Amitabh Bachchan after Yash Raj chose him for Deewaar.

Rajesh Khanna passed away on July 18, 2012, at the age of 69.

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan will next be seen in Kalki 2 where he will share screen space with Prabhas and Kamal Haasan.