Veteran actor Prem Chopra recently shared his experience of working with two Bollywood superstars, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Speaking to Bollywood Thikana, Prem Chopra revealed that Rajesh had a reputation of being late on set. He also talked about his early years and other colleagues. Talking about Rajesh Khanna, he said, “He tried to maintain his old style but the audience didn’t accept it. Those films didn’t work. He couldn’t face the fact that he wasn’t the superstar he used to be. But Amitabh was different ».
PREM CHOPRA COMPARES AMITAB BACHCHAN AND RAJESH HANNAH
When asked about the comparison between Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna in terms of accuracy, Prem Chopra highlighted the stark difference between the two actors. He stated, “Amitabh Bachchan has always been a smart and punctual actor. Rajesh Khanna was also a great actor, but he had this habit of arriving late all the time. Not everyone would take it when he landed late on the sets. Hours after everyone arrived and he was getting ready, he would arrive on set. The producers would even ask him to have lunch before the shoot, but he made sure to get the day’s work done.”
PREM CHOPRA ON CHOOSING THE ROLE OF AMITABH AND RAJESH
The legendary actor then went on to discuss Rajesh Khanna’s reluctance to take character roles. “He continued to follow the same style that defined him as a superstar, but unfortunately, those films didn’t make it. This refusal to adapt caused his downfall,” he explained.
Drawing a comparison, he then praised Amitabh Bachchan’s wise career choices. “Amitabh Bachchan has taken character roles and look at the great roles he has taken! I’m sure Rajesh Khanna would have also taken great character roles if he chose to explore them.”
On the work front, Prem Chopra was last seen in the 2021 release Bunty Aur Babli 2.