Amitabh Bachchan – Kader Khan fall-out: How a mere 'sir ji' ruined their decade old friendship

In this industry, while lifelong bonds are carved overnight, decade old friendships crumble under the burden of money and fame. Industry's biggest superstar, Amitabh Bachchan's soured friendship with Shatrughan Sinha, Rishi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Kader Khan vouches for that. With all these people, Big B shared an incredible bond at the beginning. However, it was the stiff competition, his position in the industry and priorities that drifted him away from all of these friends.

If Amitabh Bachchan was turning into the 'face of the Hindi cinema', Kader Khan was the man who was the 'voice' of that film industry. Wizard of words, a wordsmith like no other; Kader Khan's sharp-and-piercing dialogues for Amitabh Bachchan have often warranted whistles and claps in film theatres. Khan was a man who always had a book in his hand. A walking and talking book of shayaris and jumlas, Kader Khan had a penchant for striking with lines which not only made sense but also resonated massively with the target audience.

Naturally, as they continued working together in films, Kader Khan and Amitabh Bachchan's friendship became stronger. However, his words had lesser importance in front of the tall stalwart that Amitabh Bachchan was. In an old clip, Kader Khan had revealed that how a producer from South once asked him if he had seen 'sir ji'. When Khan asked who this 'sir ji' was, the producer pointed towards Amitabh Bachchan. The producer insisted that everyone must call him 'sir ji' which everyone did but Kader Khan couldn't do so. And soon, he was not a part of that film. "Kya koi apne dost ko, apne bhai ko kisi aur naam se bula sakta hai? Main nahin kar saka aur shayad isliye mera unse woh raabta nahin raha," adds Khan. Kader Khan also revealed how he was made to leave several projects Amitabh Bachchan was a part of like – Khuda Gawaah and Ganga Jamuna Saraswati.

In the clip, Kader Khan also revealed that Amitabh Bachchan had promised to launch his film on the sets of Coolie. But, the infamous accident happened and it kept getting delayed. Later, Indira Gandhi's assassination and Amitabh Bachchan's winning the elections changed their equation completely. "Phir unse mera woh raabta nahin raha jo pehle hua karta tha," Khan had said.