It was a real rivalry, but one-sided. Amitabh Bachchan became successful, while Rajesh Khanna, or “Kaka,” was overwhelmed by jealousy. Kaka let his insecurities grow, and in the end, his own weaknesses contributed to his decline. It’s a classic example of “Your loss is my gain.”
Before 1973, the film industry was mostly about charming, romantic heroes like Rajesh Khanna, who fit that soft, loving image. That was his strength. It was Salim-Javed collaboration that popularized the action genre. In fact, the movie Zanjeer was rejected because the producer said, “He doesn’t smile, and he doesn’t hold the girl’s hand,” referring to Amitabh Bachchan’s character, who became “Angry Young Man. ” Ironically, Amitabh was rejected early on because of his looks, height, and deep voice. But those qualities later became his signature style, helping him become a legend.
Amitabh, Salim Khan, and Javed Akhtar all shared a common story—they struggled for years before finding success. Amitabh came to Bombay in his 20s, but only made it big in his 30s. Salim and Javed also worked as supporting actors before becoming a duo. Rajesh Khanna’s quick rise to fame shows how success brings ego. Sharmila Tagore says only two heroes arrived on time: Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. Big B was calm, collected, and punctual, and he worked well with directors. Kaka, on the other hand, threw tantrums, arrived late on set, and slowly lost the trust of top directors. Big B’s fame as the Angry Young Man grew, but the romantic hero’s popularity started to fade because audiences found action scenes more exciting. Kaka became so jealous of Big B’s success that he would often make fun of him being punctual, and speak ill of him.
By the 90s, both men were at the same stage: declining careers, failed politics, failed business, and bankruptcy. But what made Amitabh come back from all that failure? He brushed aside his ego. He felt hurt that people had turned to Govinda, who became a rage in the 90s. Yet, he accepted work opposite Govinda, believing that this was part of his bad time and it was a fleeting moment. For a superstar to request work when producers had once queued just to meet him, it's humiliating, and Amitabh was aware of that. He started over again like a newcomer, accepting his age, and proved everyone wrong with Mohabbatein and joining the tv world with KBC. Kaka, however, refused to accept being a part of multi-starrer films. He wanted to be the hero. As he grew older, arrogance and alcoholism took over, and his acting skills faded. While Amitabh made a true comeback, Kaka’s decline worsened. Things got so bad that he even considered joining Bigg Boss because of money. Later, Akshay Kumar paid off his debts, showing how far he had fallen.
It’s a great lesson. Rajesh Khanna, who saw popularity that is still not matchable, let ego and pride blind him, and in the end, he was left with nothing. Meanwhile, Amitabh’s humility and resilience proved that being a true star isn’t just about fame but about rising again, no matter how hard life gets.