Dharmendra’s pairing with Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Sholay’ was met with widespread love from audiences. The film is one of the most iconic in Hindi cinema history. However, Dharmendra always avoided working with Amitabh Bachchan after this. Then, Amitabh Bachchan was paired with another actor who challenged Bachchan’s stardom. This hero, even more handsome than Amitabh Bachchan, changed the dynamics in Bollywood. Four films featuring the two actors were released at the box office over a two-year period, each making history. These films were: Hera Pheri, Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. All of these films were released between 1976 and 1978.

‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ were directed and produced by Prakash Mehra, while ‘Parvarish‘ and ‘Amar Akbar Anthony‘ were blockbusters by Manmohan Desai. This was the era of Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai, who were known for making masala films. Both had a close relationship. Amitabh Bachchan benefited the most from their professional rivalry. These two personalities were instrumental in elevating Amitabh Bachchan’s stardom. These films also made Vinod Khanna a superstar.

‘Hera Pheri’ was released on October 1, 1976, in which Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan appeared together. The story was written by Vijay Kaul and Satish Bhatnagar. Prakash Mehra directed the film and Satyendra Pal produced it. The two were close friends. The film also starred Saira Banu, Sulakshana Pandit, Asrani, and Pinchu Kapoor in lead roles. It ranked fourth on the list of highest-grossing films of 1976. Made on a budget of Rs 1 crore, it grossed Rs 3 crore at the box office. Vinod Khanna charged Rs 1 lakh more than Amitabh Bachchan for this film. There was intense competition between the two..

On May 27, 1977, Manmohan Desai released a film that created a sensation at the box office. It was a multi-starrer based on Manmohan Desai’s “Kho Ya Paaya” formula. The film’s title was ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’. The film featured action, tragedy, comedy, and superstition. The story for this blockbuster masala film was written by Prayagraj. The music was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film’s music was a superhit. Its songs are considered cult classics today. The film was also produced by Manmohan Desai.

The lyrics for ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ were written by Anand Bakshi. The film’s budget was approximately Rs 12 million (Rs 12 million rupees). The film grossed approximately Rs 150 million worldwide. It ranked second on the list of highest-grossing films of 1977, behind Dharam Veer. Four of Manmohan Desai’s highest-grossing films in 1977 were also produced by him. These films were: Dharam Veer, Parvarish, Chacha-Bhatija, and Amar Akbar Anthony. Manmohan Desai’s portrayal of ordinary people as heroes in his films connected people to the film. Manmohan Desai’s idea for Amar Akbar Anthony came from a newspaper report about a man abandoning three children in a park. He shared the news with his friend Prayagraj. Together, they wrote the story.

Manmohan Desai’s film Parvarish was released in theatres on November 11, 1977. The film starred Shammi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Shabana Azmi, Kader Khan, and Amjad Khan in lead roles. Prayagraj and K.K. Shukla wrote the screenplay, and Kader Khan wrote the dialogues. Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed the music. Parvarish was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1977. The film’s budget was approximately Rs 1.2 crore. The film grossed Rs 3.75 crore. The film was declared a box office hit. It was produced by Abdul Karim Nadiadwala.

Released on October 27, 1978, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was a multi-starrer action-crime drama film produced under the banner of Prakash Mehra Productions. The film was also directed by Prakash Mehra. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rakhee, Rekha, and Amjad Khan in lead roles. It was one of the finest films of Amitabh Bachchan’s career. The story was written by Vijay Kaul and Laxmikant Sharma. The dialogues were written by Kader Khan. The music was composed by Kalyanji Anandji.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar‘s budget was approximately Rs 14 million. The film grossed approximately Rs 260 million worldwide. It proved to be a blockbuster, ranking first on the list of highest-grossing films of 1978. In 1978, three of Amitabh Bachchan’s films were the highest-grossing. These were: Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Trishul, and Don. This film proved to be Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna’s last collaboration. Khanna did not work with Amitabh Bachchan after this. He even charged the same fee as Khanna for this film.