Rajesh Khanna & Shibu Mitra Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

Rajesh Khanna acted in every film; Shibu Mitra directed all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Rajesh Khanna was already a fading superstar when he agreed to do 'Insaaf Main Karoonga' (1985) with Shibu Mitra, a director known mostly for low-budget action films. Khanna reportedly took the role because Mitra promised him a full-on masala comeback — but the film bombed, and Khanna never got that bounce back.
• On the sets of 'Durgaa' (1985), Shibu Mitra would let Rajesh Khanna improvise entire monologues, then edit them down to fit the scene. Khanna loved the freedom; Mitra later said it was the only way to keep the star interested in a low-budget shoot.
• During the making of 'Sitapur Ki Geeta' (1987), Khanna and Mitra had a falling out over the film's climax. Khanna wanted a tragic ending; Mitra insisted on a happy one. They never spoke again after the film wrapped. That was their last collaboration.
• Shibu Mitra once told a trade magazine: 'Rajesh Khanna was the biggest star I ever worked with, but by the time we made three films together, he was just going through the motions. I was too.'
• The failure of 'Insaaf Main Karoonga' (1985) directly led to Shibu Mitra shifting his focus entirely to regional cinema. He never directed another Hindi film after this trio of Khanna movies.