Why didn't Amitabh Bachchan work with Rekha after their 1981 film Silsila?

If there's any love story that has been most talked about in the Bollywood industry, you just can't think about anyone else than the evergreen on-screen Jodi of Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. The two actors have worked together in 10 films and their on-screen chemistry had made everyone think that Amitabh and Rekha were a couple in real life as well. Amitabh was a married man with a beautiful wife Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan) on his side. But after doing a film together called Silsila which was released in 1981, the two didn't share the screen for almost 33 years. 

The question lingered in everyone's mind and their fans including the media wanted to why such a hit jodi like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha never had a chance to work together for more than three decades. And then came a time when Amitabh Bachchan answered the million-dollar question.

In a 2015 interview with Barkha Dutt, Big B was asked about the reason that kept him away from sharing space with Rekha who he was always romantically linked with. After 33 years, Amitabh and Rekha did reunite for a movie called Shamitabh but they didn't share the screen together.

Addressing the question, Amitabh had said, "She's just doing a small cameo in the film. I can't reveal much about the story. She's a part of a film which deals with Dhanush." When the megastar was further prodded on why they never had a chance to feature in a film in 3 decades, to which Amitabh calmy gave a very genuine answer saying, "We haven't had a suitable story come our way. So that's it."

Simi Garewal spills the beans

While you might think that Amitabh really had a good escape, but it was Rekha who openly spoke about their love for each other in an interview with Simi Garewal. The sensational interview had grabbed the much-needed attention of the industry and people couldn't stop talking about their rumoured relationship. 

Thereafter the viral 2004 interview, Simi Garewal as was asked how did she make Rekha talking about the most popular hush-hush relationship. Simi had said that she didn't think much when she was interviewing Rekha. She said that their conversation was casual and since she and Rekha go a long way back, the actress didn't have any inhibitions to talk about it.

Simi also revealed the reason why the two never came together after Silsila. "After all that controversy (over their rumoured affair), I don't think it was an easy thing to happen. He is a married man with children and grandchildren. So much Hungama happened that we couldn't expect that to happen again but I do agree that they make a lovely pair on-screen," Simi Garewal had told Indian Express in an interview. 

Rekha and Amitabh had made a hit pair together with films like Mr Natwarlal, Do Anjaaney, Muqaddar ka Sikander, Imaan Dharam and of course the iconic Silsila. After the rumours of their love story began spreading like wildlife in the industry, people had started wondering whether the love triangle between Rekha and the Bachchans in Silsila was a reflection of their real-life story.