'Amitabh Bachchan was last choice for Zanjeer — but when luck was on his side, everything fell into place': Raza Murad
In an interview with The Filmy Charcha, Murad boldly claimed that "90% luck" is necessary to make it big in the business, citing the early career of megastar Amitabh Bachchan as a prime example.
'Amitabh Bachchan was thrown out of 'Duniya Ka Mela'. The makers replaced him with Sanjay Khan. 16 of his films flopped. Distributors said nobody will turn up to theatres if he will star in a film. At that time, his luck was not with him. But when the luck was in his favour, everything fell in place,' Raza Murad said.
Elaborating further, Murad recounted how Amitabh was not the first choice for 'Zanjeer', the 1973 film that launched him to superstardom.
The actor added, 'When Prakash Mehra wanted to make 'Zanjeer', he went to Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Dev Anand, Rajkumar, and they all refused for some or the other reason. The subject was extremely hero-oriented, yet, these superstars rejected it. Nobody knows why, but one can say that the luck wanted Amitabh Bachchan to lead the film. When nobody wanted him, and Prakash Mehra had no option, Jaya Bachchan (then Jaya Bahaduri) recommended the director he take Amitabh Bachchan and rest is history.'
'Zanjeer' not only resurrected Amitabh's career but also became a milestone for screenwriters Salim-Javed, who later crafted many of Bachchan's iconic roles.
The film's success introduced the archetype of the 'angry young man' in Hindi cinema, shifting the narrative away from romantic leads to grittier, working-class protagonists. Pran's portrayal of Sher Khan in his Pathani attire became legendary, while lines like 'Yeh police station hai, tumhare baap ka ghar nahin' ('This is a police station, not your father's house') embedded themselves in Indian pop culture.
'Zanjeer' (1973) was helmed by director Prakash Mehra, who also co-produced the film along with S. Ramanathan. The screenplay was written by the legendary duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, whose powerful storytelling and sharp dialogues would go on to reshape the landscape of Hindi cinema. With music composed by the acclaimed duo Kalyanji-Anandji and lyrics by Gulshan Bawra, the film was a complete cinematic package.
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