After Rajesh Khanna died on July 18, among the first ones to join the massive funeral procession was Amitabh Bachchan. The complex relationship between the two stars has been stuff of film lore.
For the original superstar, whose descent was perhaps brought about by the ascent of Bachchan, there were wounds he nursed till his last breath. And while one would think that with time and age, he would have moved on, turns out, his last film Riyasat - which release on his birthay next month - is not a story of just any underworld don. It bears uncanny similarities with Amitabh's character in Sarkaar.
A source close to the project told Mirror, "Rajesh Khanna was deeply disappointed with the kind of roles that were coming his way. He was not the kind of person who was comfortable doing something like Wafaa, which had no scope for him to display his acting skills. When Ashok Tyagi, the director of Riyasat was discussing the possibility of doing a film with him, Khanna happened to come across a DVD of Sarkaar." Apparently, Bachchan's performance left serious impression on the star.
When contacted, Tyagi told Mirror, "I had already seen Sarkaar by then. My story is different, but yes, the main characters are very similar." We hear the way his character dresses, speaks, carries himself and thinks is very similar to Amitabh's in the RGV film. According to sources, the Kaka wanted to use the film as an opportunity to regain his crown.
"That's right," said Tyagi, "In fact, Kakaji told me this. We used to spend long hours at Ashirwad and Kaka's anguish over his unrealised potential was palpable." The two watched Sarkaar several times, say sources, and if viewers find a lot in common between the two characters, it should not come as a surprise.
"Kaka kept saying that destiny and the industry were not kind to him. Unlike Bachchan, whose career got several boosts, he was never given a fair chance to reclaim lost ground," says Tyagi, adding, "We did whatever we could. This is his last film. I have even retained his voice, doing away with a dubbing artiste. After his death, I have tried to use the best technology and clear the background noise whenever he speaks in the film. He has a special timbre in his voice.Nobody can reproduce that."
For the original superstar, whose descent was perhaps brought about by the ascent of Bachchan, there were wounds he nursed till his last breath. And while one would think that with time and age, he would have moved on, turns out, his last film Riyasat - which release on his birthay next month - is not a story of just any underworld don. It bears uncanny similarities with Amitabh's character in Sarkaar.
"That's right," said Tyagi, "In fact, Kakaji told me this. We used to spend long hours at Ashirwad and Kaka's anguish over his unrealised potential was palpable." The two watched Sarkaar several times, say sources, and if viewers find a lot in common between the two characters, it should not come as a surprise.
"Kaka kept saying that destiny and the industry were not kind to him. Unlike Bachchan, whose career got several boosts, he was never given a fair chance to reclaim lost ground," says Tyagi, adding, "We did whatever we could. This is his last film. I have even retained his voice, doing away with a dubbing artiste. After his death, I have tried to use the best technology and clear the background noise whenever he speaks in the film. He has a special timbre in his voice.Nobody can reproduce that."
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