When Dharmendra Rejected Zanjeer: How Amitabh Bachchan Became Bollywood’s Angry Young Man.

Amitabh Bachchan’s career changed forever with the 1973 film Zanjeer. The movie was a massive hit and gave Indian cinema the legendary image of the “Angry Young Man.” This intense and action-packed role was a big shift from the romantic heroes Bollywood was used to at the time. But did you know that this role wasn’t originally meant for Amitabh Bachchan?

Yes, the lead role in Zanjeer was first written for Dharmendra. The film was penned by the iconic writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who were known for their powerful storytelling. In fact, Javed Akhtar once revealed in an interview that Dharmendra was their first choice for the film.

According to a report by India Today, Javed Akhtar said, “The script of Zanjeer was written for Dharmendra ji, but for some reason, he turned it down.” He also mentioned that director Prakash Mehra was left with a script but no leading actor. Mehra then went from one actor to another, offering the role, but nobody wanted to do the film.

One of the reasons actors kept refusing the role was because Zanjeer didn’t follow the typical Bollywood formula. It had no romantic plot or comic relief. It was a serious story about justice, corruption, and a man fighting against the system. This was something new and risky for that time, which made many stars say no to the project.

Eventually, Amitabh Bachchan was cast in the lead role — and that decision changed everything. The film not only became one of the highest-grossing movies of 1973, but it also gave Bachchan his big break. His intense performance as Inspector Vijay became iconic, and so did many of the film’s dialogues.

After Javed Akhtar’s old interview resurfaced on social media (originally shared by HT City on Twitter, now called X), it seemed that Dharmendra was not too happy with the way the story was told. He left a cryptic comment under the post, which many believe was directed at Javed Akhtar.

Dharmendra wrote, “Javed, kaise ho……. dikhave ki iss duniya mein haqeeqaten dabi rah jaati hain. Jeetey raho….. Dilon ko gudgudana khoob aata hai….. kaash sar chad ke bolne ka jaadu bhi sekh liya hota…” (Translation: “Javed, how are you… In this world of appearances, truths often get buried. Stay blessed… You’re good at tickling hearts… I wish you had also learned the magic of speaking with authority.”)

The comment hinted that Dharmendra may have felt misrepresented or misunderstood in the story shared. Still, it’s clear that Zanjeer played a huge role in shaping Bollywood’s future and gave Amitabh Bachchan the identity that made him a superstar.

From rejection to revolution, the story of Zanjeer is a reminder of how one role can change everything — and how fate sometimes chooses the right actor, even if he wasn’t the first choice.

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