‘He used to be late all the time’: Bollywood veteran Prem Chopra reveals why Rajesh Khanna couldn’t sustain his stardom

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Bollywood actor Prem Chopra recently opened up on the secret to Amitabh Bachchan's longevity in Bollywood, and how, despite being the most sought after leading man once, yesteryear superstar Rajesh Khanna faded away once his luck ran out. In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, Chopra was quizzed on his former colleagues. The ‘Bobby’ actor revealed that Bachchan was always punctual and professional.

In comparison, Khanna was frequently late on sets. “Amitabh Bachchan was always an intelligent and punctual actor. Rajesh Khanna was also a great actor, but he got this habit of reaching late all the time.

Not everyone would take it when he landed late on sets. Hours after everyone reached and got ready, he would reach the sets. The producers would even ask him to have lunch before the shot, but he made sure he completed the day's work.” The ‘Do Anjaane’ actor also said that while Bachchan was willing to experiment with character roles when his luck as a leading man ran out, the ‘Amar Prem’ star was not so willing to transition to supporting characters and this stubbornness proved to be his undoing in the long run.

Speaking about Khanna, Chopra said, “He continued his old style (of acting), but the audience didn’t accept it. Those movies didn’t work. He could not face the fact that he wasn’t the superstar that he used to be.

But Amitabh was different. He was a superstar for so many years, but he moved on to character roles at the right time. I am sometimes surprised, at this age, he is busier than he was before,” he said.