The film was first offered to Dharmendra and Dev Anand.
Zanjeer established Amitabh Bachchan as the iconic ‘Angry Young Man’ through his powerful portrayal of Inspector Vijay.
Prakash Mehra’s directorial Zanjeer made Amitabh Bachchan an overnight sensation. The movie established Amitabh Bachchan as the iconic ‘Angry Young Man’ for his powerful portrayal of Inspector Vijay. Interestingly, before Amitabh Bachchan, Zanjeer was offered to three other superstars, who declined the project. This fortunate turn of events marked a turning point in Amitabh Bachchan’s career, and the rest, as they say, is history. The movie became a huge hit at the box office and helped Amitabh salvage his career after delivering 11 flops in a row.
Prakash Mehra, the director and producer of the crime-action film Zanjeer, collaborated with the renowned writing duo Salim-Javed to bring this story to life. Reports from The Times of India reveal that Dharmendra expressed his desire for the film. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Dharmendra was unable to take on the project at that time. That is when Prakash Mehra explored other options.
He considered Dev Anand for the lead role after Dharmendra couldn’t join the project. However, when Dev Anand suggested adding songs to the film, Prakash Mehra, recognising the character’s essence, decided to take a different direction.
After unsuccessful attempts with Dev Anand and Dharmendra, Prakash Mehra approached Raj Kumar with the script, but the actor requested the shooting to be done in Hyderabad, which didn’t work out. It was then that Pran, the veteran actor, recommended Prakash Mehra to watch Mehmood’s film Bombay to Goa, where Amitabh Bachchan’s performance stood out. Impressed by Amitabh’s talent, Prakash Mehra chose him for the role of Inspector Vijay in Zanjeer. That is how Amitabh Bachchan landed a pivotal role in the film.
Zanjeer featured prominent stars, including Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Om Prakash, Ajit Khan, and Bindu Desai in significant roles. Following Zanjeer’s success, Amitabh Bachchan went on to deliver blockbuster hits such as Sholay, Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Trishul, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Kala Patthar, Kalia, Naseeb, Namak Halal, Dostana, Shakti, Shahenshah, and Agneepath. Now, the actor is all set to star in upcoming films, including The Great Man, Taalismaan, Ghoomer, Ganapath, The Intern, and Section 84 to name a few.