Amitabh Bachchan might have impressed the audiences with his cross dressing in Laawaris. But Rajesh Khanna did not seem to be on board with the act. In an interview in the early 1980s, Rajesh Khanna said that he would not drape a saree regardless the money and applause he would get for it. For the unversed, Amitabh draped a saree to sing Mere Angne Mein.
Writer Yasser Usman mentioned in his book, Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar revealed that Rajesh spoke about the song in an interview in 1982. “I will never compromise on my dignity and don a saree and do a ‘Mere Angane Mein’ for all the money and all the applause in the world,” Rajesh said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
Last year, Amitabh revisited the song on an episode of KBC last year. “This film (Laawaris) was made by director Prakash Mehra. He also made Zanjeer. He came up to me one day and said, ‘Hey, Amit, give me this song.’ I asked him what he meant by that. He then explained that he wanted to use the song in his film, and I said ‘Sure, why not!’ He then said, ‘You will have to sing it.”
Amitabh shared, “I told him, I can’t. Phate huye baans jaise, I am a very bad singer. I cannot sing. But he was persistent that I sing it the way I do at home. That’s how it was included and I sang it with great difficulty.”
Amitabh and Rajesh worked together in two films. Amitabh shared the screen for the first time with him in Anand (1971). He was the supporting actor in the film. They reunited in Namak Haraam (1973). Following the film’s success, Amitabh’s popularity reached newer heights. Meanwhile, Rajesh witnessed a downfall in the 1980s.
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