Jeetendra also revealed that he owes director Raghavendra a lot as it was his films that brought him back to life.
Veteran star Jeetendra has worked in nearly 200 films, among them, a majority of the movies went to become a massive hit. When his 1982 film Deedar-E-Yaar was released, the movie flopped and the actor incurred a major loss. However, the actor forgot about his previous loss when Himmatwala was released in 1983. During an old interview, the actor had called Sridevi and Jaya Prada his ‘bread and butter’ as he thought that the two ladies were his lucky charm.
Among his many films, the evergreen star has acted in south remakes, including, Sanjog, Aulad, Majaal, Justice Chaudhury, Mawaali, and Tohfa.
Himmatwala became Jeetendra’s biggest hit, in the film he starred opposite Sridevi. In an interview with director K Raghavendra Rao on his show Soundarya Lahiri, the actor told, “With the release of Himmatwala, I bounced back. I made so much money. I forget my loss. And life went on. Two things – Raghavendra Rao and Telugu brought me back to life. Himmatwala was a roaring success.”
It was Deedar-E-Yaar that turned out to be the biggest flop in Jeetendra’s career, as he suffered the loss of Rs. 2.5 crore in those times. The 1982 film was in the making for almost 5 years but it was a box office dud upon its release. The film also starred, Rishi Kapoor, Rekha and Tina Munim.
However, luck proved to be in his side when Himmatwala was released in 1983, he added, “I was so happy when he (Raghavendra Rao) said Sridevi was going to star next to me. I used to call Sridevi and Jaya Prada my bread and butter.”
Jeetendra also revealed that he owes director Raghavendra a lot as it was his films that brought him back to life. The duo went on to collaborate in 11 films. On the other hand, post-Himmatwala’s success, the veteran star wanted to only work with Sridevi in every film. Eventually, the two-actor worked together in 16 films, among which 13 were successful.
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