"He was not telling the truth about Rekha!"
In the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Simi Garewal hosted a chat show named Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.
The show depicted Simi interviewing various celebrities about their careers and personal lives.
In 1998, a notable guest Simi had on the show was none other than Amitabh Bachchan.
At the time of the interview with Simi Garewal, Amitabh had just returned to the industry following a sabbatical.
However, he was struggling as his films were not doing well. Furthermore, he was facing the underperformance of his company, ABCL.
This was also at a time when a younger generation of actors including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn were ruling the roost.
During the interview, Simi asked Amitabh about his alleged romance with Rekha.
Both the veteran actors were rumoured to have had an affair during the 1970s and 1980s.
Remembering this, Simi recalled: “This once, I went up to him and said, ‘Amitji, I want you to give this 100%. I want you to be completely honest’.
“And he gave me that Amitabh Bachchan look and said, ‘I will give it 100% and I will be myself’.
“We talked of everything under the sun. His childhood, adolescence, parents, ABCL, his flops, his return, his family, Jaya, the kids, the kind of women he likes, and his professional decisions.
“I think he was completely honest.
“There are people who, after that interview, said, ‘Amitabh Bachchan is not like that!’
“Or, ‘He was not telling the truth about Rekha!’
“But I believe he gave all of himself in that interview. Anyway, people only believe what they want to believe.”
When Simi asked Amitabh about Rekha, he responded: “She has been my co-star and colleague.
“And when we were working together, obviously we met each other. Socially, we have nothing in common.
“That’s about it. Sometimes we bump into each other at a function, which is, you know, an award function, for example, or at a social gathering.
“But that’s about it.”
The superstar added that the rumours did not bother him.
In 2004, when Rekha made an appearance on the show, Simi Garewal asked her whether she was ever in love with Amitabh.
Rekha replied: “Absolutely, that’s a dumb question!
“I have yet to come across a single man, woman, or child who cannot fall hopelessly in love with him.”
“So why should I be singled out?”
However, Rekha also denied the rumours of an affair.
She continued: “Do you want to know the truth? There was never a personal connection with him. It just did not happen.”
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha worked together in many films including Do Anjaane (1976), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), and Mr Natwarlal (1979).
In 1981, they starred in Yash Chopra’s Silsila which has been their final film together so far.
Meanwhile, before moving to television, Simi Garewal also worked in Bollywood as an actress.
She starred in classics including Teen Devian (1965), Mera Naam Joker (1970), and Namak Haraam (1973).
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