This film was rejected by 5 actors, after release it turned a flop actor into superstar, made in Rs 90 lakh, earned Rs 17 crore; Movie is…, lead actor is…

This movie was neither a comedy nor a romantic film, yet it made headlines overnight. Made on a budget of just Rs 90 lakh, the film went on to collect Rs 17.46 crore at the box office. The name is...

Rejection of films is very common in the Indian film industry. One actor may reject a film, while another finds the script promising and decides to do it. There are many such examples in Bollywood and South Indian cinema, where a role passed on by one actor was picked up by another. One such film from the golden era of Indian cinema was rejected not by one, but by five actors. However, the actor who accepted the role became an overnight star and today rules Hindi cinema.

Made on a budget of just Rs 90 lakh, the film went on to collect Rs 17.46 crore at the box office. It was neither a comedy nor a romantic film, yet it made headlines overnight.

The name of this film, made in 1973, was Zanjeer. It was written by Salim Khan, Salman Khan’s father, along with Javed Akhtar. It was released on 11 May 1973 and directed by Prakash Mehra. The star of this film was none other than the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan. Before Zanjeer, Big B was on the verge of leaving the film industry and returning home due to a series of back-to-back flops.

Which stars rejected Zanjeer?

Before Amitabh Bachchan, Zanjeer was offered to Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, and Raaj Kumar. Not only did several actors turn it down, but many actresses also missed the opportunity due to their busy schedules. Eventually, Zanjeer was shot with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, and Pran.

The film’s powerful dialogues and Amitabh Bachchan’s commanding presence in a khaki police uniform left a strong impression on the audience. Interestingly, after seeing Amitabh Bachchan in the film Bombay to Goa, the writer duo Salim-Javed approached him for Zanjeer.

The film was a massive success, not just in India but also in the Soviet Union. A remake of Zanjeer was later made with South superstar Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra, but it turned out to be a disaster at the box office.