Yash Chopra’s ‘Silsila’ is a classic and a casting coup of sort. The film did not do well at the box office when it released initially in 1981, but over the years, it’s loved and remembered for its plot, songs, visuals and of course the cast – Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. The film also had Sanjeev Kumar but his role was more of an extended cameo. While one may wonder how Yash Chopra convinced Big B, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha to do this film, in a recent interview, author Hanif Zaveri who has penned Sanjeev Kumar’s biography, has revealed that it was the ‘Angoor’ actor who convinced Jaya for the role. Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan have shared screen space together in ‘Anamika’, ‘Sholay’ and have always shared a great friendship with each other. They had immense respect for each other. Zaveri appeared in this interview with Sanjeev Kumar’s niece Jigna Shah and said in an interview with Vickey Lalwani, “Yash Chopra told Sanjeev Kumar to convince Jaya Bachchan to do ‘Silsila’ as he shared a great rapport with her. But Jaya Bachchan ne ek condition rakhi thi ke mera kaam chaahe ho ke nahi hu, main rahungi set pe. (But she had one condition that she will be on the set even if it’s not her scene).”
Zaveri added further, “Pehle toh yeh picture mein Smita Patil aur Parveen Babi the (Initially, this film had Smita Patil and Parveen Babi), but Parveen Babi was no longer a part of the film since she was unwell. Then when Parveen was not a part of the film and when Rekha came in, Yash Chopra thought that if Rekha is playing this character, Jaya Bachchan should play the wife’s character.” Earlier in an interview, Yash Chopra had spoken about having this cast in ‘Silsila’ and how it was challenging for him then. “I was always on tenterhooks and scared because it was real life coming into reel life,” he said. With Amitabh married to Jaya in real life and linked romantically to Rekha, the film’s casting was as controversial as it was bold. The filmmaker acknowledged that anything could have happened during the shoot, adding, “They are working together… Jaya is his wife and Rekha is his girlfriend — the same story is going on in real life.”
