Rakhee Chose Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie Over Her Marriage With Gulzar

Back to the moment when Rakhee decided against being married to Gulzar in favour of “Kabhi Kabhie,” and Amitabh Bachchan is also involved.

The “IT” pair of Bollywood used to be seasoned actress Rakhee and famed lyricist Gulzar. When the actress wed the poet, she was at the height of her success in Hindi film, and the marriage came with the stipulation that she would quit Bollywood after the wedding. She had no idea that Sahir Ludhianvi had also written songs with the seasoned actress in mind when he and Yash Chopra conceptualised the entire movie with her in mind. But did you know that she chose the movie above her union with Gulzar, and as a result, Amitabh Bachchan never again collaborated with the lyricist?

Rakhee reportedly felt restless after giving birth to her daughter Meghna Gulzar, and Chopra reportedly promised her Kabhi Kabhie. As the filmmaker was really eager on either directing her in the film or not making it at all, she couldn’t pass up this chance.

In an interview with Masala, Rakhee told Subhash K Jha, “When I married Gulzar, Yash became our neighbour. He then offered me Kabhi Kabhie after my marriage. I think Kabhi Kabhie was conceived keeping me in mind. Lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi, I think, wrote the songs keeping me in mind. Gulzar and I used to regularly visit Yash’s home. This was during those times when I was pregnant with my daughter Meghna and Yash’s son Adi was a child. One day in the presence Amitabh Bachchan, they played a song and Pam said, ‘This song is for Raakhee’. That’s how Kabhi Kabhie was offered to me. Yash Chopra said, ‘I’d drop the film. But I won’t make it with any other heroine.’ Since acting was the only thing I enjoyed, I agreed to do the film even after marriage

Later, when Gulzar learned of his wife’s intentions to return to Bollywood, he reminded her of a vow she had previously made to him. The two then broke up when the seasoned actress signed Yash Chopra’s “Kabhi Kabhie.” Although they never legally separated, the couple began living apart after that. To our astonishment, the most of her successes came around after she wed the seasoned lyricist.

Interestingly, Amitabh Bachchan, who occasionally starred alongside Rakhee in movies, has never appeared in any of Gulzar’s directorial efforts.