MUMBAI: Zanjeer, a 1973 action criminal drama directed by Prakash Mehra, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, and Ajit Khan in the key characters. When Amitabh was offered Zanjeer, he also chose to accept the offer and return to his birthplace of Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in the early 1970s after witnessing numerous failures. The movie, which ended up being a huge hit, gave Amitabh the reputation of the Angry Young Man and altered his course in life.
However, a lot of actors had turned down Zanjeer before Big B. In fact, Dharmendra shared a fascinating story of how he lost the movie Aap Ki Adalat (2018) because of his cousin sister. The actor from Haqeeqat revealed that he had chosen to direct the movie himself after purchasing the screenplay for Rs 17,500 from Salim Khan, Salman Khan's father. He gave the filmmaker the script while he and Prakash Mehra were filming Samadhi in 1972.
Following the same, Dharmendra finally gave in to Prakash's demands and allowed him to direct the movie. However, Mehra and Dharmendra's cousin sister got into a fight, and the actress vowed to avoid working with the filmmaker. Because the actor was unable to refuse his sister, Prakash was left with Salim's script and no actors committed to the project. The filmmaker subsequently reached out to Dilip Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, and Dev Anand, but each of them turned down the movie. Amitabh Bachchan was finally signed by Prakash, and the movie debuted on May 11, 1973.
The action crime drama proved to be a hit not just in India but also in the Soviet Union. The movie grossed Rs. 6 crore in India and Rs. 11 crore in the Soviet Union. Its total profits across all territories came to Rs. 17.46 crore. Amitabh Bachchan never looked back after Zanjeer, going on to become one of the biggest stars in Indian film history.
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Credit: DNA india
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