The date was April 20, 2007. The world's most beautiful woman, Aishwarya Rai, married Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan in an intimate wedding. The wedding menu, ceremonies, Ash's bridal attire, a special security force of 300 guards, ladoos all the way from Kanpur, designer saris by Abhu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, special mehendi from Sojat in Rajasthan, a group of eleven priests from Nagpur, and a star-studded sanget—their wedding hogged column inches and prime time slots for a long time.

But another much-talked-about aspect was the guest list, which was kept exclusive. The nuptials were a private and low-key affair attended only by close family and friends, as Amitabh Bachchan's mother, Teji Bachchan, was unwell, and they wanted a limited guest list. To make up for it, they sent sweet boxes and invitation cards as tokens of love to those they couldn’t invite personally. However, not everyone appreciated the gesture as Shatrughan Sinha chose to return the wedding card and sweets sent by the Bachchan family.

However, this is not the first time the Bachchan vs. Sinha feud has made headlines. Unlike the fuss of today’s almost ridiculous celebrity feuds, it was never a screaming-match-come-confession session—nothing based on a crazy indiscretion. Instead, it has always been a question of 'who takes the screen?' - a quiet, almost mutual antipathy juxtaposed with professional rivalry, the media's conjecture, and wounds to wounded egos.

To revisit the comment above, Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan were once good friends. They acted in seminal films—Kaala Patthar, Dostana, Shaan, and Bombay to Goa. That's why many were surprised by Sinha's response to the gesture at the marriage. This is the saga of two titans of an era—how rivalry quietly appeared to hang over them.

The Two Outsiders: Flaky Dynamics

By the early 1970s, Amitabh Bachchan had already begun to make his mark as the brooding anti-hero in Indian cinema. Though he started slowly with films like Saat Hindustani and Anand, Zanjeer (1973) would truly establish him as Bollywood's "Angry Young Man." His deep voice, tall stature, and impassioned performances embodied the frustrations of a generation facing systemic injustice. With the wild success of Deewaar, Sholay, and Trishul, he quickly became a sensation.

Shatrughan Sinha was a wildly different story in the film industry. Beginning his career by playing the villain and in supporting roles, his unique baritone voice and flamboyant dialogue delivery instantly made him popular. With his performance in Kalicharan (1976), Dostana (1980), and Shaan (1980), Sinha proved that he could 'storm the film' and steal the show even when he had limited screen time. He was the unlikeliest and most exuberant eccentric who would somehow share the stage with, and even take the show from, Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchan and Sinha acted in numerous films together—Kaala Patthar (1979), Shaan (1980), Dostana (1980), Naseeb (1981), and Satte Pe Satta (1982). While the characters they played often shared chemistry on screen, their relationships off-screen were far more serious. There was no overt animosity here; however, industry insiders and film publications suggested an undercurrent of resentment and rivalry.

Rivalry at Its Roots

In Dostana, the pair had almost equal screen time as best friends involved in a love triangle. As expected, Bachchan's role as the lead had the most coverage, while Sinha's portrayal of an honest police officer named Prakash was well-received and even said to be more down-to-earth than Bachchan's flamboyant lawyer. Media reviews at the time specifically noted how Sinha matched or outshone Bachchan in their scenes together.

Reports indicated that Sinha's moxie and charisma sometimes bordering on cockiness did not sit well in the direction that Bachchan's restrained and disciplined character was seeking. According to reports, the environment on set was "frosty", although both men publicly carried on professionally as they were expected to.

Their reasons for rivalry were many—pride, jealousy, and the insatiable thirst for supremacy in this business. Both actors were vying for the same leading roles, the same directors, and equal amounts of love. But this wasn't just a professional matter; it was personal, too.

While Bachchan had the bigger banner films and was much steadier in delivering hits, Sinha was the feisty firebrand, much more raw and instinctual, just an impossible-to-resist audience favourite. The director would invariably cast Sinha opposite Bachchan to make sure they had the scales in balance. While this can be excused in a professional sense, in this case, there is little doubt that it was an uneasy emotional balance.

Sinha once said in an interview, “Wherever I went, they used to say: 'Arre yeh toh us film mein Amitabh ke saath tha' — never the other way." That statement cut deep, reflecting Sinha's frustration of being seen as backup talent, regardless of whether or not his performances had stolen the scene.

The 1980s proved to be pivotal years for both men. While Bachchan reigned supreme at the box office, Sinha began to walk away from any project involving the Big B. In fact, there were even whispers that neither one would do a film with the other, except if they absolutely had to.

Even veteran producers and directors have been on record saying they were reluctant to cast them together because of the difficulties surrounding casting them both. What if there was a meaty role for one actor? Which actor would get all the applause? The stories of Sinha walking out of projects that became blockbusters for Bachchan help to cement the story - Coolie and Lawaaris!

One of the best anecdotes comes from director Ramesh Sippy, who cast both actors in Shaan. Although it was an impressive visual spectacle, the chemistry between the two men was very cold. “You could feel the distance,” recalled one crew member.

The Ash-Abhi Wedding

When Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai married in 2007, it marked a high point for a grand wedding ceremony in the film industry. Veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha had worked with Bachchan on and off screen for decades and was on the list of the sector not invited to the wedding or told personally. Sinha received only a box of sweets without an invitation. Sinha was the only one who could send the sweets back. Riddle me that! The greasy rebound further cemented and confirmed the historical rivalry and psychological distance between Sinha and Bachchan. After decades in the same industry, both kept their personal and professional distance.

Abhishek Bachchan addressed the controversy 3 years later on the talk show 'Koffee With Karan.' "Very honestly, people are forgetting a major reason why our family wanted to keep it very intimate. I had an ailing grandmother at the hospital, and my father said that, ‘You know, we are feeling correct about the fact that going out there and having a huge celebration,'" said Abhishek when the host Karan Kohar asked him about the 'ups and downs' of the wedding. He added that even though the family wished to include everyone in spirit, not everyone took the gesture positively.

Public Statements Made by Sinha & Bachchan Against Each Other

While they never fought openly, both actors have occasionally cracked open the mutual silence in interviews. Sinha, ever candid, has never been shy about suggesting rivalry. He called Bachchan 'overprotected by the industry,' and claimed many of his own roles were ‘gifts’ to Big B because some producer knew him better. He said, “If I had licked more boots, I would’ve been a bigger star than Amitabh.”

On the other hand, Amitabh Bachchan had barely spoken out about the rivalry. Quietism was often read as kindness or contempt. The dignified distance only added to the mystique, circulating gossip columns and fan speculation.

Eventually, the pair mutually backed out of projects and returned to signing amounts because of their rivalry.

Open Secrets in Sinha's Biography: 'Anything But Khamosh'

In his biography 'Anything But Khamosh' by Bharathi S. Pradhan, Sinha said Amitabh could not handle the love Shatrughan was being given: "The problem was that I was getting more applause for my performances." 

Sinha also revealed that Amitabh would never offer him the seat next to him in the car, nor would he ever let his umbrella cover Sinha. "We would be going from the location to the same hotel, but Bachchan would always sit in his car and never say,' Let's go together. 'I found that weird because I never had any cause against him.'

The veteran actor explained that their misunderstandings had built up over time and eventually resolved themselves. The older he got, the more he regretted the way things unfolded.

In an Aaj Tak interview, he cleared the air that their rivalry was the 'thing of the past' and they were good friends, "Things are better now! When two people clash together sometimes, and at times you are clashing, or someone is making you clash. Sometimes it was behaviour from his side, sometimes it was behaviour from my side. Stardom and popularity can make some people crazy. Sometimes excitement can make you lose control."

The Takeaway

Bollywood is full of uncertain relations, of which history is proof. Actors who were once professionally pitted against each other had no personal qualms, but it was the image made by the media. Turn the pages and you'll find many such instances.

Juhu Chawla once revealed that she turned down 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' because she wasn't comfortable playing a supporting role to Madhuri Dixit, which Karishma Kapoor played. They both buried their hatchets, eventually starring in the 2014 film Gulaab Gang and appearing in a talk show together.

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were always pitted against one another, although both denied rivalry or camaraderie. Kareena's question about Priyanka's accent was well responded to by the global star in Koffee with Karan's Season 3 episode, who replied, "the same place her boyfriend gets it from." In a Season 5 episode, Kareena praised Priyanka's achievements, and in the Season 6 finale, the superstars graced the couch, discussed the 'accent' clapback. Even Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan's rivalry is much talked about. They had a massive fight at Katrina Kaif's 2008 birthday party, reportedly about SRK's sour comments about Aishwarya Rai. They reconciled at Baba Siddique's Iftar party in 2013, giving the press a field day.

This quiet rivalry between Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan is a terrific study in contrast. One represented charisma, and the other, restless energy. One ascended clinically to celluloid immortality, and the latter established himself as his uninvited meanderer.

Theirs was a Cold War simmering below the surface in a cinematic world bursting with character. It was an important study, not of scandal but of tension, not of confrontation but of contradiction.

Though both have made their permanent impressions on film in India, fans may still wonder what could have been: a strong bond or series of classic partnerships. Perhaps this is precisely what their silent rivalry was rooted in: untold possibility.