Rajesh Khanna and Yash Chopra worked together on two successful films, Ittefaq and Daag. However, they had a fallout and both parties blamed one another. In Yasser Usman’s book, Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar, the author noted how Yash Chopra didn’t want to work with the superstar due to his ‘tantrums’. On the other hand, Rajesh Khanna didn’t want to work with the director because he made him ‘work hard’.
As per the book, cracks developed in Rajesh and Yash’s relationship after the director started working with Amitabh Bachchan more. Yash Chopra cast Amitabh Bachchan in films like Kabhi Kabhie and Silsilia, which created a rift in his relationship with Rajesh Khanna. Sagar Sarhadi, the writer of these films, was close to Rajesh Khanna and detailed this rift.
The book states, “He (Sagar) remembers once asking Yash Chopra about why he didn’t sign Rajesh again after making a successful film like Daag. Yash Chopra answered, ‘Yaar, working with him is very difficult… He calls his producers to his home and indulges in drinking till late (in the) night. Till the time he doesn’t want to sleep himself, producers have to show their presence there. Then if he is going to Madras for shooting, the producers are to drop him to the airport and receive him when he comes back. I can’t do this. I can’t handle these superstar tantrums on a regular basis.’”
As for Rajesh Khanna, the superstar gave his own reasons for not working with Yash Chopra. “In any case, after Namak Haraam, he had become too insecure of Amitabh. Sagar Sarhadi told me, ‘Once I went to Khandala to write a script. I met Rajesh Khanna there. I asked him, ‘Yaar, why are you not doing films with Yash Chopra?’ He replied irritated, ‘Yash is not a good director. He makes me work hard from morning till evening. I can’t work so hard.’ I started laughing at his answer,” the book further reads.
However, Yash Chopra and Rajesh Khanna worked again in the 1988 drama film Vijay. However, it was a box office failure.
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