Veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha as soon as opened up a couple of painful section in his friendship with the late Rajesh Khanna, revealing how the celebrity stopped talking to him for years after they contested the Delhi election in opposition to one another. In an outdated interview with The Instances of India, Shatrughan spoke candidly concerning the fallout, the misunderstanding, and his remorse at not with the ability to meet Rajesh Khanna earlier than his demise.
‘Mere khilaaf tum kaise khade ho gaye?’
Recalling the episode, Shatrughan stated that Rajesh Khanna discovered it troublesome to just accept that he was pitted in opposition to him within the elections.“We fought in opposition to one another in a Delhi election for which he couldn’t forgive me for a lot of days. He thought, ‘Mere khilaaf tum kaise khade ho gaye?’ (How may you contest in opposition to me?)” Shatrughan stated.He clarified that the choice was political, not private.“I instructed him, ‘I’m not contesting in opposition to you. It’s the political get together that decides who contests from the place.’ LK Advani had gained by an enormous margin, and Rajesh Khanna had additionally gained from Gandhinagar with a margin of over one lakh votes. He needed to let go of 1 seat, so Delhi was given up,” he defined.Shatrughan added that Rajesh Khanna narrowly misplaced the election by simply 2,000–3,000 votes and later contested once more when the seat fell vacant — solely to search out Shatrughan as soon as once more standing in opposition to him.
‘After the election, he stopped speaking to me’
Regardless of their long-standing friendship, the political rivalry left deep scars.“We had been excellent pals. After the election, he stopped speaking to me. I attempted to type issues out. I even stated sorry to him after just a few years,” Shatrughan recalled.He additionally spoke emotionally about wanting to fulfill Rajesh Khanna throughout their hospitalisation years later.“Once I was within the hospital just a few years later, Rajesh Khanna was additionally hospitalised. I used to typically inform my daughter Sonakshi that once I get discharged, I’ll go straight to fulfill him,” he stated.Nonetheless, destiny had different plans.“However I couldn’t meet him. Sooner or later, Sonakshi instructed me that Rajesh Khanna uncle isn’t any extra. I had apologised to him means earlier than that,” he added. Shatrughan Sinha and Rajesh Khanna shared display area in a number of movies, together with Muqabla (1979), Dushman Dost, Naseeb (1981), Dil-e-Nadaan (1982), Maqsad (1984) and Aaj Kaa M.L.A Ram Avtar (1984). Regardless of political variations, their cinematic legacy collectively stays a cherished chapter in Hindi cinema historical past.