Salim-Javed and Amitabh Bachchan became overnight sensations after the 1973 release of ‘Zanjeer’. Few, though, are aware of the circumstances surrounding the writer-actor’s meeting and decision to put him in the part. Earlier, Javed Akhtar talked about his first encounter with Amitabh Bachchan and why they insisted on hiring him at a time when Amitabh Bachchan’s films were all failing at the box office and the majority of the stars had rejected their script.
Amitabh Bachchan was still a nobody and working on the Rajesh Khanna-directed movie ‘Anand’ when he first met Javed Akhtar. During a conversation with IFP, Javed Akhtar recalled vividly that they were filming the final scenes of ‘Seeta Aur Geeta.’ The project was nearly complete, with only some patchwork or possibly additional scenes for ‘Andaaz’ remaining. Meanwhile, on the next floor at Mohan Studio, filming for ‘Anand’ was in progress as they were shooting the song ‘Kahi door jab shaam dhal jaye’. Due to their acquaintance with Rajesh Khanna, they decided to visit the set. There, they observed a young man sitting in the corner—tall and slim.
He further added, “Then somebody told me he is playing very important part in the film and that he is Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s son–Amitabh. That’s how I was introduced to him.” That concluded their first encounter, which the writer described as “not very eventful.” Following their encounter, Javed Akhtar saw a few movies of Amitabh Bachchan.
He stated, “I saw some of his films which didn’t do well–Parvana, Bombay To Goa, and some of his excerpts in Guddi and suddenly I felt after watching these few films that this man is a major talent and both of us (Salim-Javed) agreed on this. We were like, ‘My God, what an actor he is!’ Unfortunately, his films were not doing well at that time.”
Around this period when Salim-Javed wrote the script of ‘Zanjeer’, they were having trouble finding a leading star for their movie. He further added that the script was prepared, and Prakash Mehra was set to produce it. However, there was a notable absence of heroes. He elaborated, stating that no actors were willing to participate in the film during an era dominated by Rajesh Khanna and the chart-topping music of RD Burman, as well as Lakshmikant Pyarelal. The script they had developed featured a protagonist devoid of songs, romance, or light-hearted scenes.
He added that people struggled to comprehend the nature of the hero he represented. He was perpetually consumed by anger, which deterred actors from taking on the role. The team persistently urged Prakash Mehra to cast Amitabh Bachchan. However, each time Mehra became convinced of Bachchan’s suitability, one of his films would underperform, leading to Mehra’s discouragement. However, Prakash Mehra had no choice but to cast Amitabh Bachchan because no other actor was willing to play the part.
He recalled how Big B bagged the role and shared, “So, one day, I found his (Amitabh Bachchan) phone number and called him and told him you might not remember me, but I have a script and I want to narrate it to you. He didn’t have much to do either, so he told me, ‘you can come right away’. I went there. I told him, ‘I will narrate the script to you, and I will also have you meet the producer, but please don’t discuss any terms and discussions with the producer, just blindly do the film.’ He asked me to narrate the story to him and I did. I still remember very clearly that he looked at me and said, ‘Do you think I can pull this off?’ Because till that time, he was playing poet, doctor, and writer, and so on. I said, ‘Nobody can do this better than you. Noone.’”
Following this, Javed Akhtar took Prakash Mehra to the sets of ‘Gehri Chaal’, where Amitabh Bachchan was filming alongside Hema Malini and Jeetendra. Here, they signed the film. Javed Akhtar concluded by saying, “With or without Zanjeer, Amitabh Bachchan would have surely become successful in one or the other way. It is not possible to waste a talent like him.”
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