Shatrughan Sinha opens up about his rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan: Kuch unki harqat, kuch...

Actor Shatrughan Sinha claims that his relationship with megastar Amitabh Bachchan saw ups and downs since they were continuously at odds until eventually maturing and realising they could do better.

Speaking to Aaj Tak, Shatrughan Sinha discussed his well-known complicated relationship with Amitabh Bachchan and claimed that, despite years of conflict, the two are now close friends. “Things are good now. Sometimes you clash, then some people also make you clash. Kuch unki harqat, kuch meri. Sometimes it is also the intoxication of stardom and popularity. Ya phir josh mein hosh kho dete hai, the veteran actor said. 

According to Shatrughan Sinha, miscommunications progress over time until one realises that they should be handled maturely, which is what ultimately transpired between him and Bachchan. The actor claimed that, looking back, he regrets how events between the two turned out. “Misunderstandings happen, sometimes they also increase and then maturity hits you. You then understand and realise that it shouldn’t have happened. When it comes to Amitabh, I feel sorry and I am sure he also must have realised it. Today we respect each other a lot, we are again good friends. He is senior to me, but in films, he is slightly junior to me. But we are good friends,” he added.

Shatrughan Sinha discussed his feud with Amitabh Bachchan in his autobiography Anything But Khamosh. He recalled how the superstar did not want him in several of his movies because he could see the reception he was getting. He had written, “The problem was the applause I was getting for my performances.” 

For the uninformed, when Shatrugan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's Kaala Patthar in 1979, their rivalry was at its height. According to Sinha, neither the chair next to Amitabh nor his umbrella would ever be set up to cover any of them. They would be travelling in the same direction, toward a hotel, but Sr Bachchan would always sit in his car and refuse to go together.