In a Filmfare throwback from the special 2017 issue built around Amitabh Bachchan’s 75th birthday, Jeetendra opens up about a friendship that began before the cameras and the habits that turned Amitabh into an industry benchmark. What emerges is not gossip about a star, but an actor’s study of discipline, recovery and staying power.
A Delhi friendship, one film together
Jeetendra recalls meeting Amitabh in Delhi long before the movies. He was visiting Shobha Kapoor, then an airhostess, and they would spend time at Tabela, a discotheque at the Oberoi. A friend of Shobha’s introduced Jeetendra to Amitabh there.
Later, in Mumbai, both were strugglers trying to find films. Their only collaboration was Gehri Chaal (1973), shot in Madras. Jeetendra says the memories are faint but the time together was good, and the friendship endured.
The habits that built the legend
Jeetendra’s tribute keeps returning to Amitabh’s professionalism. In his telling, the word “chalega”—the easy “this will do” shortcut—had no place in Amitabh’s vocabulary. That refusal set the tone for everything.
- Amitabh never made producers wait and never idled away time chatting on set.
- Even after nights out with friends that ran until 3 am, he would report for a 7 am shoot.
- He treated his own time and other people’s time with equal seriousness.
- After the near-fatal Coolie (1982) accident, he rebuilt himself through sheer willpower.
When Jeetendra visited Amitabh at Breach Candy Hospital, Amitabh told him, “I’ve forgotten how to walk.” The confession took no gloss off the recovery; it showed what he had to push through.
Jeetendra draws a comparison with his daughter Ekta Kapoor: what outsiders read as stress can simply be the absorption of someone who enjoys the process. He believes Amitabh works the same way—passion is what makes the relentless schedule feel less like labour.
That combination, he says, is why Amitabh’s stamina still feels unbelievable. The star remains everywhere: films, television, social media and the handwritten letters he sends to people. Jeetendra adds that the mind is where Amitabh draws his strength, and that his sense of humour has stayed intact with age and status.
Why the throwback matters
This is more than nostalgic trivia. It explains a career that has outlasted most of its era. Jeetendra says Amitabh never took stardom for granted and grew more conscious of his position after success, not less. That discipline is why he could move across films, television, social media and even handwritten letters late into his career.
It is also a useful lens for today’s Hindi film industry, where careers can rise and fall on a few Fridays. Jeetendra’s memory suggests Amitabh’s longevity was not accidental. He treated discipline as a daily commitment and never presumed that the audience owed him another chance.
For fans and anyone chasing a creative career, the point is simple: consistency looks ordinary day to day, but it compounds into a legacy.
Source: Filmfare