Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s chemistry revisited as vintage Silsila set photo makes social media rounds

An old behind-the-scenes picture of Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha from the shoot of Silsila has found its way back into public attention. Shared recently on Reddit, the image is reportedly from the Kashmir schedule of the 1981 romantic drama and has once again stirred conversations about the film’s casting and the rumours that once surrounded the trio.

The photo captures Amitabh seated in a vintage car, dressed in a wool coat, oversized sunglasses, and a crisp shirt. Rekha sits beside him, wearing a knit sweater, her expression calm yet quietly striking. The image immediately caught the attention of movie buffs and old Bollywood followers, who saw it as a reminder of an era where real-life rumours blended almost seamlessly with reel-life storytelling.

Directed by Yash Chopra, Silsila brought together Amitabh, Rekha, and Jaya Bachchan in a storyline that closely resembled the gossip that filled film magazines in the late '70s and early '80s. Amitabh played a poet named Amit, caught between duty and passion as he marries Shobha (Jaya Bachchan) after her fiancé’s death, even though he’s still in love with Chandni (Rekha).

Yash Chopra had admitted in a later conversation with Shah Rukh Khan that casting Amitabh, Jaya, and Rekha in one film was an extremely difficult decision. “It was one of the most challenging decisions of my life. The casting was huge, but also complicated,” he had said.

At the time, reports had claimed that Amitabh had decided not to work with Rekha again, making Silsila an unexpected collaboration. The film didn’t perform well at the box office, but over the years, it gained cult status, mainly because of the context in which it was made.

This resurfaced photo has reignited curiosity, especially among younger cinephiles who are fascinated by Bollywood’s unsaid histories. While neither Amitabh nor Rekha have ever publicly spoken in detail about the nature of their relationship, their pairing in Silsila remains a touchstone for Bollywood lore. For many, the film and the stories around it still symbolise one of Hindi cinema’s most enigmatic chapters.