Amitabh Bachchan & Waheeda Rehman Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 1980s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 1970s belonged to Mr. Natwarlal; the 2000s to Delhi-6. Amitabh Bachchan acted in every film; Waheeda Rehman acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Waheeda Rehman was Amitabh Bachchan's first choice for his mother in 'Delhi-6' (2009). He personally called her to say no one else could play the role of his on-screen mother — 26 years after they last shared screen space in 'Coolie' (1983).
• In 'Namak Halaal' (1982), Waheeda played a sharp-tongued hotel manager who constantly puts down Amitabh's bumbling waiter. She set the rhythm of their scenes by delivering her insults in a deadpan monotone, forcing him to overreact — which made his comic timing land harder.
• Their pairing in 'Mr. Natwarlal' (1979) directly inspired the con-man-meets-romance template that 'Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne' (2003) and 'Bluffmaster!' (2005) later copied. The film's train-station meet-cute was referenced in multiple 2000s heist comedies.
• During the 'Coolie' (1983) shoot, Waheeda noticed Amitabh was exhausted from back-to-back action scenes. She quietly asked the director to schedule her scenes first so he could rest longer between takes. He never forgot that — he mentioned it in his 40th-anniversary speech for the film.
• "She was the only co-star who could make me nervous. I'd forget my lines when she looked at me with those eyes." — Amitabh Bachchan, on working with Waheeda Rehman, during a 2017 Film Heritage Foundation event.