Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan were more than just co-stars—they were great friends. Their bond was built over years of working together in hit films like ‘Sholay’, ‘Parvarish’, ‘The Great Gambler’, and ‘Yaarana’. While their on-screen chemistry was loved by fans, their off-screen friendship was just as strong. But like many relationships, theirs also faced a rough patch during the making of the 1990 superhero film ‘Ajooba’.
A friendship built over time
Bachchan and Khan first worked together in ‘Sholay’ (1975), where Amitabh played the intense Jai, and Amjad became a legend with his role as the fearsome Gabbar Singh. Their bond only grew stronger over the years. One of the biggest signs of their deep friendship came in 1979, when Amjad suffered a terrible road accident while travelling to Goa. The accident left him critically injured, needing urgent medical help. Amitabh stepped up and signed the hospital papers for Amjad’s emergency tracheostomy surgery, saving his life. Their friendship had seen many highs and lows, but it remained strong—until ‘Ajooba’ happened.The ‘Ajooba’ controversy- What went wrong?
The 1990 film ‘Ajooba’, directed by Shashi Kapoor and Gennady Vasilyev, was a grand project with Bachchan in the lead. As per Masala.com, Amjad was initially cast in a key role and was excited to be part of the film. He even attended the mahurat (launch) event. But just a month into production, things took a shocking turn, he was suddenly dropped from the film and replaced by Amrish Puri.
Amjad was devastated. He suspected that his removal was no accident and believed there was a conspiracy behind it. What hurt him the most was his belief that Amitabh himself had played a role in getting him ousted from the film. He believed Amitabh had influenced director Shashi Kapoor’s decision due to personal differences between them.
A confrontation that led to more questions
Amjad did not stay silent about his feelings. He confronted Shashi about the situation while they were working on another film, ‘Meri Zabaan’. But instead of getting a straight answer, he felt ignored when the director refused to explain why he had been removed him from ‘Ajooba’. This lack of clarity left him even more frustrated and deepened his rift with Amitabh.
Despite the fallout, Amitabh and Amjad’s friendship remains one of Bollywood’s most memorable bonds. They shared moments of genuine warmth, loyalty, and support over the years, but ‘Ajooba’ marked a turning point that they never truly recovered from. Amitabh himself once reflected on their relationship, “We spent some anxious times at various stages of our friendship… His accident, my accident and then his sudden passing away but there was a bond that remained unspoken between us and still does…,” he wrote on his blog.
