The Rekha-Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bachchan triangle remains one of Hindi cinema's most enduring controversies. Despite rumors since the mid-70s, none have publicly confirmed the speculations.
Interestingly, Rekha and Jaya were close even before Amitabh's marriage. In fact, after early success, Rekha moved to Mumbai at 18 and lived in the same building as Jaya Bachchan.
When Jaya married Big B, Rekha was close to both. So much so, the trio often went on drives together, as mentioned in Mehmood's biography by Hanif Zaveri.
The biography quotes Anwar (Mehmood's brother): 'Amitabh and Anwar were close. I'd often take Amitabh and Jaya on long drives. They'd sit in the front, and Rekha in the back, chatting throughout.'
Rekha and Amitabh met on the sets of Do Anjaane (1976). Amitabh was already married to Jaya, and Shweta and Abhishek were born.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha worked together in several films, including Mr. Natwarlal, Do Anjaane, and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. However, Silsila was their last film together.