No comedy, no romance, 5 superstars rejected this film, no actress wanted to work in it, lead actor was ready to ‘quit’, later film became superhit, earned Rs…

Made in Rs 90 lakh, the film earned Rs Rs 17.46 crore worldwide. It became a blockbuster and made lead actor a superstar in the industry.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is considered a legend in the Hindi film industry. He has been working actively in the industry for 54 years and is known as the Shahenshah of Bollywood. The actor made his debut in 1969 with the film Saat Hindustani. The film was not well received at the box office and was declared a flop. Following this, the actor saw multiple flops and also decided to leave acting and go back to his hometown in Allahabad, now Prayagraj. But then, released Zanjeer and changed his life. Through Zanjeer, the actor established himself as a superstar in the industry. He became popularly known as The Angry Young Man after the film’s success.

Released in cinemas on May 11, 1973, the move was a superhit in India and the Soviet Union. Made in Rs 90 lakh, the film earned Rs 6 crore in India and its worldwide box office earnings were Rs 17.46 crore. Zanjeer boasted a stellar star cast of Pran, Jaya Bachchan, Ajit Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan.

As per several reports, Big B wasn’t the first choice for Zanjeer. Reportedly, the project was first announced with Dharmendra and Mumtaz, but the former star kept pushing the project ahead. Thus, Dharmendra decided to back out and he started approaching other actors. Another news report stated that superstars Dev Anand, Raaj Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna were offered the film, but they all rejected it due to unknown reasons. It was also reported that no actress was in favour of signing Zanjeer.

Finally, Salim Khan, from the iconic writer duo, Salim-Javed suggested Amitabh Bachchan’s name for the lead role and the actor was finalised for the action drama. Mumtaz, who was supposed to star opposite Big B, backed out, choosing marriage over career. Later, Jaya Bhaduri was take on board and the  only agreed to the film for Amitabh.

After the success of Zanjeer, Big B became a part of various hit films like Namak Haraam, Abhimaan, Sholay, Kabhi Kabhie, Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, etc. But it was Zanjeer that made him a huge star in the industry.