Is this Madhuri Dixit's greatest cover shot and photoshoot?!
Her collaborative efforts with the acclaimed and beloved photographed, the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who, in turn, worked with makeup artist Mickey Contractor - exclusively I think... created some of the most striking visuals in media. The bone structure of MD doing the most here...
Some might argue their work in MOVIE magazine was a level up- or perhaps even g magazine.... ah, what a happy debate...
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When director Manmohan Desai released Suhaag in November 1979, the multi-starrer formula was at its absolute zenith. Centered on Desai's signature "lost-and-found" narrative, the film followed two twin brothers separated at birth - Amit (Amitabh Bachchan), who grows up to be a charismatic criminal, and Kishan (Shashi Kapoor), an upright police officer.
While the film was packed with high-decibel action, family melodramas, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s chart-topping soundtrack, it was the explosive screen presence of Rekha that gave the film its romantic core. Playing Basanti, a feisty courtesan's daughter turned street dancer, Rekha delivered a performance that seamlessly blended sharp comic timing with vulnerable glamour. Her dynamic with Bachchan was electrifying- evident in iconic dance numbers like "Atharaa Baras Ki Tu" and the devotional anthem "O Sheronwali".
By 1979, Rekha was no longer just a glamorous foil; she was a transformed artist with immense star power. Suhaag solidified her standing as the definitive leading lady of mainstream 1970s commercial cinema, proving that even within the confines of a male-dominated "Angry Young Man" actioner, her charisma could command undivided attention.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha starred together as a paired lead couple or major co-stars in 10 full-length feature films between 1976 and 1981.
Of these 10 films, 8 were commercial successes (ranging from Hits to Superhits and Blockbusters), giving their pairing an extraordinary 80% success ratio at the box office—one of the highest hit-rates for any lead pair in Hindi cinema history.
Do Anjaane (1976) – Hit
Khoon Pasina (1977) – Super Hit
Immaan Dharam (1977) – Flop
Ganga Ki Saugandh (1978) – Hit
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) – All-Time Blockbuster (2nd highest grosser of 1978)
Kasme Vaade (1978) – Semi-Hit / Hit
Mr. Natwarlal (1979) – Hit
Suhaag (1979) – Blockbuster (1st highest grosser of 1979)
Ram Balram (1980) – Hit
Silsila (1981) – Average / Moderate Success (Cult classic status achieved later)
The Tulu speaking Bunt ladies; Shilpa Shetty and Aishwarya Rai.
Ash's face and Shilpa's body, that would be an ideal woman for Bollywood!
Outtakes from a cover shoot Aishwarya Rai, 19, did with Sanjay Dutt, 34, back in November 1993! This was four years before cinema fame - when she was a top model in Mumbai and the famous Sanju - Pepsi girl. Hence one Sanju met another for Cine Blitz's cover shoot.
In November 1993 - the month Aishwarya Rai and Sanjay Dutt famously posed together for their iconic CineBlitz magazine shoot - Aishwarya was 19 when she shot with the great phtographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, and she turned 20 years old when the magazine came out (Rai was born November 1, 1973) while Sanjay Dutt was 34 years old (born July 29, 1959).
This was exactly a year before Aishwarya Rai's world change - because a year later, on November 19, 1994, in South Africa, she was crowned Miss World.
Age Gap: 14 years and 3 months.
Total Films Together: 2 feature films.
Hits: None. Neither of their on-screen pairings succeeded commercially at the box office.
Flops:
Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (2002) – Directed by David Dhawan and co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn, this action-comedy underperformed significantly relative to its high budget. A terrible film by all accounts - a pointless plot with a decidedly unfunny script. The music was loud and awful - and the lyrics even worse. Yeh kya ho raha hai? - the question is repeated 25 times in one song. Lazy much?!
Shabd (2005) – Directed by Leena Yadav, this psychological drama featured Sanjay as a struggling author and Aishwarya as his wife. It was a critical and commercial disaster at the box office.
Last Collaboration: Shabd (2005), released on February 4, 2005.
