In the early 70s, when the craze for Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna was at its peak, a man with unconventional looks came and challenged him for his throne. He was none other than Amitabh Bachchan. He started the trend of action films, where one angry man fought against the entire system. Romantic films took a back seat with Amitabh’s rise and Rajesh Khanna’s popularity thus began to wane.
It was the film Zanjeer, which is considered Amitabh’s breakthrough role, but he had already done a few films before this. His first film was 1969’s Saat Hindustani. This movie, directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, was about seven brothers trying to free Goa from Portuguese rule. It also had stalwarts like Utpal Dutt and AK Hangal in it. Let us talk about how Amitabh landed this debut role.
What most people do not know is that it was actor and filmmaker Tinnu Anand, who was initially eyed by Khwaja Ahmad for the role. At that time, Tinnu was learning filmmaking under his mentor Satyajit Ray, so he could not take up the offer. Instead, he was convinced by his friend Amitabh to hand over a photo of him to Khwaja.
Khwaja Ahmad was known to be short-tempered and Amitabh was unable to muster the courage to approach him directly.
In an interview, Tinnu Anand said that he simply handed over the photo to the director and told him that if he feels he fits the bill, then he can cast him. Khwaja Ahmad saw the photo and liked Amitabh’s look. Amitabh was called over and after a conversation with him, cast him as one of the seven brothers in Saat Hindustani. Amitabh has also, in interviews, acknowledged Tinnu Anand’s contribution to his career.
Later, Tinnu Anand also made one of Amitabh’s most iconic films. In 1988, Tinnu cast Amitabh Bachchan in the vigilante action movie Shahenshah, which became a huge success. The success and legacy of the movie led Amitabh Bachchan to be dubbed as the ‘Shahenshah of Bollywood’.
Amitabh Bachchan will be next seen in Project K. The film is directed by Nag Ashwin, and is backed by Vyjayanthi Movies. It also stars Prabhas and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles.
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