Here Are Four Films Rejected by Other Actors That Made Amitabh Bachchan a Star

After his debut film Saat Hindustani flopped, Amitabh Bachchan struggled to get a break.

Amitabh Bachchan has turned 81 on 11 October, 2023.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

It's superstar Amitabh Bachchan's 81st birthday, and what an incredible professional journey he has had over decades. However, the megastar had struggled a lot initially to get a break. His debut film Saat Hindustani didn't do well at the box office, and he had to do multiple supporting roles before Zanjeer came as a breakthrough in 1973. Then followed a string of blockbusters, including Deewar, Sholay, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Don, Amar Akbar Anthony and more.

However, the truth is that for some of the cult characters Amitabh wasn't the first choice. Here are a few examples:

Zanjeer

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in Zanjeer.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

In 1973, Amitabh Bachchan was dealing with a string of flops and a huge setback. It was then that writers Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar and an initially reluctant Prakash Mehra (filmmaker), decided to create the "angry young man" archetype with Zanjeer. Though Zanjeer revived his career, Amitabh wasn't the first choice for the movie.

In an interview with India Today Javed Akhtar had said, "Amitabh Bachchan was actually the last choice for Zanjeer. The script was written for Dharmendra, but for some reason he refused. Prakash Mehra now had a script but not a leading man. He was also producing a film for the first time since he had only directed before that. He went to multiple actors for the role, but everyone refused."

Akhtar added, "I can also understand why they refused. That was a time when Rajesh Khanna was considered as God and music was a must in movies. Zanjeer did not have a romantic or comedy angle, instead the hero was supposed to be serious and angry all the time. This was unheard of during that time, so obviously everyone refused."

Akhtar said that he kept nagging Mehra to cast Amitabh. "Even after everyone rejected the script, Prakash was convinced that the film would be made. I kept nagging him that he should take Amitabh Bachchan, but his films were not doing well. Hence, it was not an attractive proposal that time. Eventually, Prakash Mehra ended up casting Amitabh. But when the script was written, we did not have Amitabh Bachchan in our mind."

Deewar

Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Did you know that Shatrughan Sinha was the first choice for Yash Chopra's 1975 directorial Deewar? Sinha himself had spoken about it during a conversation with Aaj Tak. "I must have done about 250 films. There are certain films that I regret not being able to do. Like Deewar. It was written for me. They had approached me. The script was with me for about six months. There was a clash of thoughts between some people and I returned the script,” the veteran actor said.

Amitabh received a huge appreciation for his performance.

Sholay

Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in a still from Sholay.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

The characters of Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) in Ramesh Sippy's iconic directorial are etched in people's minds. However, the makers' first choice for the role of Jai wasn't Amitabh. They wanted Shatrughan Sinha instead. But Sinha had declined the offer and some reports state that he refused to work in a two-hero film. Later, in a television program titled Yaaron Ki Baraat, Sinha revealed that he could not do the movie because of “technical difficulties”. Sinha also told Aaj Tak, "I was supposed to do it (Sholay); the role which my friend Amitabh Bachchan eventually did. Some people wanted me to play the role of Gabbar Singh. But that time I had passed the phase of playing a villain. I was a new, popular star doing several films. My friend and great filmmaker Ramesh Sippy was not able to tell me the exact dates he wanted from me. He would say, ‘Just come to Bangalore, we will work’. But I had so many films at that point of time.”

Sinha added that he was happy Deewar and Sholay turned Amitabh into a sensation. “The way I couldn’t do Sholay or Deewaar, there is a regret. But there is also happiness, that these films gave national icon and national star Amitabh Bachchan such a solid platform. I am happy that he emerged as such an iconic actor of the country.”

Don

Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Don.

In 1978, the audience hadn't seen a film like Don and they went gaga over Amitabh Bachchan. In an interview with PTI, the film's director Chandra Barot had said that the film's titular role was initially offered to Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Dev Anand, but all three had refused the Salim-Javed script. It was then that Amitabh was brought in, and the rest is history.