The love triangle between Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan will always remain Bollywood’s most famous scandal. The questions around this story still linger. Is Rekha still in love with Amitabh? Does she wear sindoor because of him? What happened between the two? All of these questions continue to occupy the minds of Bollywood fans even today. Author and journalist Hanif Zaveri has now revealed some interesting details about this triangle.

In a recent conversation with Meri Saheli, Zaveri shared a few unknown snippets from the lives of Amitabh, Rekha and Jaya. But do you know who Amitabh Bachchan’s first love was before Jaya Bachchan and Rekha came into the picture?

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Amitabh Bachchan’s first girlfriend

In the 1960s, Amitabh Bachchan used to live in Kolkata and worked for a British company. Zaveri said, “There, he met a girl named Maya who worked in British Airways back then.” They met frequently and started to like each other. However, Amitabh soon shifted to his mother Teji Bachchan’s friend’s bungalow. Maya kept visiting him there as well, and they became inseparable. She accompanied him on his shoots and knew all his friends.

But the love story came to an end when Anwar Ali, Amitabh’s close friend, intervened. According to Zaveri, Ali didn’t appreciate Maya’s mannerisms and the way she joked about Amitabh. Zaveri shared what Ali suggested to Bachchan, “Listen, I’m telling you as a friend that you will not be able to spend the rest of your life with Maya. Moreover, she wouldn’t even fit in the Bachchan family with ease.” Amitabh reflected on it and gradually distanced himself from Maya, which soon led to their breakup.

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya: From dating to marrying each other

Jaya Bhaduri first met Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of the Bollywood film Guddi (1971). “But they fell in love on the sets of B.R. Ishara’s film, Ek Nazar (1972)”, said Zaveri. They got close to each other, and Jaya supported Amitabh in his tough times. Zaveri shared, “When Bachchan Ji got injured due to an accident during the movie Coolie’s (1983) shooting, Jaya sat with him in the hospital 24/7, met the doctors and took care of him.”

“Bachchan Ji regained consciousness and got to know about her unwavering support. Gradually, he started liking her, and Rekha got left behind.” But do you know how Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan met?

Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s love story

Rekha met Amitabh Bachchan through her then best friend, Jaya. “They were good friends in their initial acting days as they rented flats in the same building. Jaya used to take Rekha along whenever she met Amitabh,” said Zaveri. Little did Jaya know what drama awaited her.

At that time, Kundan Kumar, the director of Duniya Ka Mela (1974), signed Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. “So, Jaya convinced Rekha to work in that film alongside Amitabh. However, he was later replaced with Sanjay Khan,” said Zaveri. However, Rekha and Amitabh got to work again a short while after. Zaveri shared, “They got close during the shooting of the film Do Anjaane (1976)…They fell in love with each other. It’s 100% true that they both liked each other.”

Is the movie Silsila based on the story of Amitabh, Jaya and Rekha?

No, Silsila (1981) is not related to the actors’ real life drama. “Yash Chopra wanted to create such a love triangle for a long time, but Jaya Bachchan didn’t want to work in the film. Moreover, she started to hate Rekha a lot,” said Zaveri. But how did she agree to act in the movie later? “On the insistence of her Rakhi brother Sanjay Kumar, she accepted the film on a condition – she would be present every day on the set regardless of the work.”

The eventual separation of this romantic silsila

Post Amitabh Bachchan’s Coolie accident, he married Jaya Bhaduri. But she said something that gave closure to Rekha’s relationship with Amitabh. “I don’t know whether it’s true, but Jaya Ji invited Rekha Ji for lunch. And Bachchan Ji wasn’t there at home at that time. Jaya Ji fed her well, and the two friends gossiped about everything,” said Zaveri.

He further added what Jaya Bachchan said to Rekha when she was about to leave after lunch. “See, Amitabh is mine; he was mine and will always be mine,” said Zaveri. Rekha realised her fate and eventually stepped back. Silsila was the last film where the two women worked together.

On being asked if Rekha still loves Amitabh Bachchan and the reason behind her sindoor, Zaveri said, “If Rekha herself confesses that she loves Amitabh, then it’s true only.” However, he dismissed other rumours by saying, “How Rekha lives, what she does, what she feels in her heart and mind, she knows better. While people are quick to make assumptions, I don’t think Rekha is that serious about wanting Amitabh back in her life.”

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