Prakash Mehra, like arch-rival Manmohan Desai who also made films only with Amitabh (also colossal hits), was a man of his time : he gave Amitabh films which played to his strengths, keeping all the other elements subservient to his star, who did everything; he even played triple roles where he was Good, Bad and Ugly. His other directors took the cue. Villains were made into ineffectual buffoons. Comedians were rendered hopelessly redundant. Leading ladies were strictly glamorous spare wheels, coming and going when and where Amitabh wanted them to. Only Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who made several of his best films with the star, stuck to his guns, and kept his stories well-rounded ; Hrishida was the only one he made an exception for.

Between Prakash Mehra, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra and Ramesh Sippy, Amitabh became invincible. He stayed, all the way till the 80s, the ‘One and Only Superstar’. His only real challenger would arrive in 1992, by the name of Shah Rukh Khan. By then, Prakash Mehra had wound down. An era was over.

shubhragupta@expressindia.com