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Veteran Javed Akhtar recently opened up about how Amitabh Bachchan was skeptical about signing ‘Zanjeer’, a movie that played a crucial role in defining his entire career graph. Javed Akhtar, who co-wrote the script with Salim Khan revealed that the Big B wasn’t really sure whether he could pull off the role.
During a session at the IFP, screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar reminisced about the time when Amitabh wasn’t sure whether he would be convincing in the role of an angry young man!
“I went to his place.I told him, ‘Let me give you the script (of Zanjeer) and make you meet the producer. You don’t discuss any terms and conditions with him. Just do the film in whatever way possible’. He asked for a narration. I gave him a narration. I still remember very clearly that he looked at me in wonder. He said, ‘Do you think I can pull off this role?’ Because till then, he was playing only poet and doctor and writer and so on. So he said, ‘Can I do this?’ Then I told him, ‘Nobody can do it better than you’,” Javed Akhtar took a walk down memory lane.
‘Zanjeer’ released in 1973, featured Amitabh Bachchan in the Angry Young Man avatar. The film helmed by Prakash Mehra, certainly made waves. The 1973 release marked a significant turning point for both Amitabh Bachchan and the film industry, as it introduced the concept of a self-righteous cop who isn’t afraid to take justice into his own hands. The iconic lines like, “Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jaaye sharafat se khade raho. Yeh police station hai tumhare baap ka ghar nahi,” continues to resonate with audiences.
During a session at the IFP, screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar reminisced about the time when Amitabh wasn’t sure whether he would be convincing in the role of an angry young man!
“I went to his place.I told him, ‘Let me give you the script (of Zanjeer) and make you meet the producer. You don’t discuss any terms and conditions with him. Just do the film in whatever way possible’. He asked for a narration. I gave him a narration. I still remember very clearly that he looked at me in wonder. He said, ‘Do you think I can pull off this role?’ Because till then, he was playing only poet and doctor and writer and so on. So he said, ‘Can I do this?’ Then I told him, ‘Nobody can do it better than you’,” Javed Akhtar took a walk down memory lane.
‘Zanjeer’ released in 1973, featured Amitabh Bachchan in the Angry Young Man avatar. The film helmed by Prakash Mehra, certainly made waves. The 1973 release marked a significant turning point for both Amitabh Bachchan and the film industry, as it introduced the concept of a self-righteous cop who isn’t afraid to take justice into his own hands. The iconic lines like, “Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jaaye sharafat se khade raho. Yeh police station hai tumhare baap ka ghar nahi,” continues to resonate with audiences.
Javed Akhtar Avoids Kanwar Yatra Eateries Question
On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan’s recent outing was ‘Kalki 2898 AD’.