When Sanjeev Kumar was ‘hurt’ and ‘humiliated’ as Rajesh Khanna walked in hand-in-hand with Hema Malini: ‘He took this insult to heart’

Bollywood has always been full of legendary rivalries, but few were as dramatic as the one between Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar. Their clash was not just about box office success or star power — it slipped into their personal lives too, creating moments that left scars. In the early 1970s, when Sanjeev was dreaming of a future with Hema Malini, a single stunt by Rajesh Khanna at a public event turned everything upside down.In An Actor’s Actor; The Authorised Biography of Sanjeev Kumar by Hanif Zaveri and Sumant Batra, the authors shared an incident that added fuel to the fire. Sanjeev was called with Hema, and Rajesh was called with Sharmila Tagore, as they were shooting together. Sanjeev, whose relationship with Hema was already fragile, did not know Rajesh would be there.Sanjeev arrived before time and quietly sat in his designated seat. But soon there was a commotion in the hall. Rajesh Khanna entered, holding Hema Malini’s hand, and walked in with confidence. As quoted by The Indian Express, the book describes what followed, “Sanjeev was humiliated and hurt. Hema was equally shocked to see him. She had merely accompanied Rajesh Khanna at his insistence and did not know of the animosity that existed between the two. Although she could gauge to some extent the damage she had unwittingly inflicted, she did not dare confront Rajesh Khanna. Sanjeev Kumar stepped down from the stage and joined the audience in a different row, far away from them. None of them spoke to each other during the show.”Already struggling with family pressure, Sanjeev and Hema’s relationship faced a new challenge after this humiliating public moment. Watching Rajesh make a grand entry with Hema was more than Sanjeev could bear.The book further reveals, “Sanjeev’s friends tried to explain to him that Rajesh Khanna had done it on purpose to humiliate him and that Hema was innocent. But Sanjeev took this insult to heart.”The very next day, Sanjeev reported to work for the film ‘Anamika’, where he was shooting alongside Jaya Bachchan. He carried out his scenes with professionalism, but the hurt was written all over his face when the camera was not rolling.The authors wrote, “At last, during the lunch break, he told her what had happened. She was shocked.”Soon after the incident, Sanjeev and Hema’s relationship came to an end. With neither side willing to defy their families and the humiliation fresh in Sanjeev’s heart, there was little chance of saving what was left.In the years that followed, Hema Malini moved on and married Dharmendra in 1980, while Sanjeev continued with his career.