Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna locked rivals Jaya Prada, Sridevi in a room: ‘We didn’t say a word’

‘We never had eye contact with each other’

Calling herself the luckiest person to have worked with Sridevi, she said, “We never had eye contact with each other even after playing perfect sisters on screen. We both competed with each other, be it regarding dresses or dance. Every single time we met, the directors or the actors used to introduce us on set — we would simply greet each other and move ahead.”

Both actresses began their careers in the South film industry before making a successful transition to Hindi cinema. They shared screen space in several films, including Devatha (Telugu), Tohfa, Mawaali, Maqsad, Aulad, Naya Kadam, Main Tera Dushman and more. Their pairing became one of the most successful on-screen combinations of the 1980s.

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Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna tried to end their rivalry

Recalling one memorable incident from the shoot of Maqsad, Jaya Prada revealed that Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna once tried to get the two actresses talking by locking them inside a makeup room together.

“I still remember during the shoot of the Maqsad, Jeetu ji and Rajesh Khanna ji locked both of us in one makeup room for an hour as they both felt that we would start a conversation with each other but we did not even say a word. The superstars of Bollywood finally gave upon us,” she said.

Jaya Prada later also recounted the same incident during an appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show, recalling how even that unusual attempt failed to break the ice between the two actresses.

‘I wish we could talk to each other’

The veteran actor also became emotional while remembering Sridevi, who died in Dubai in February 2018. She admitted that she regrets never building a friendship with her co-star despite spending years working together.

“It still upsets me and I miss her a lot because I feel alone and through this platform, I would also like to say that if somewhere she is listening to me, I would just say that I wish we could talk to each other.”

Jeetendra called Sridevi and Jaya Prada his ‘bread and butter’

Despite their off-screen rivalry, Jaya Prada and Sridevi continued to work together in several successful films with Jeetendra, forming one of Bollywood’s most bankable on-screen combinations in the 1980s. The trio first came together in the Telugu hit Devatha, which was later remade in Hindi as Tohfa, before starring in films such as Mawaali, Maqsad, Aulad and Majaal.

Looking back on those collaborations, Jeetendra once said, “I was so happy when he said Sridevi was going to star next to me. I used to call Sridevi and Jaya Prada as my bread and butter.”