Since the beginning of 70s the box office was ruled by king of romance Rajesh Khanna where every film of his would become a hit.
But during this romantic era director Prakash Mehra decided to break boundaries and make an action film based on a Police officer and his Pathan friend.The writer duo Salim-Javed had a script ready and Dharmendra was finalized to play the lead alongside Mumtaz. It said that it was Dharmendra who bought the script to Prakash Mehra during Samadhi (1972).
But before the film could progress Dharmendra had to opt out of the film due to date issues. Prakash Mehra then approached Raj Kumar who declined the film as he wanted to shoot it outdoors in South and not in Bombay as well as he said he won’t do the film as he didn’t like the smell of Prakash Mehra’s hair oil.
The script then went to Dev Anand who liked the script but Salim-Javed were against casting him as they felt he didn’t fit the serious role of a cop. After hearing the script Dev Anand said don’t be annoyed if I say no to the film but your script has the power to become a hit.
Prakash Mehra had everything ready but was not finding his hero until one day Salim-Javed told him about a youngster Amitabh Bacchan who had started four years back who won Filmfare best supporting actor for Anand (1971), But had 12 flops to his name and his recent release Bombay To Goa (1972) is doing well in theaters.
Prakash Mehra along with Dev Anand went to watch the film at Alankar Theater in Bombay and during the climax fight scene he saw Amitabh Bachchan punching the villains and said that I have got my hero.
Amitabh Bachchan had by then decided to bid bye to the industry after sting of flops. But as you say destiny Salim Khan fixed a meeting with him and Paraksh Mehra on sets of Gehri Chaal (1973) and rest is history.
Amitabh Bachchan was signed to play a tough cop whom criminals fear. Mumtaz by then had opted out of the film and Jaya Bachchan (still Bhaduri then) was signed for the heroine they both were seeing each other then.
Ajit Khan who was trying his second innings as a villain got the biggest break with this film. While the most important character in the film rather than the hero Inspector Vijay Khanna was Sher Khan played by Pran.
This was the very first time Pran and Amitabh Bachchan came together and who can forget the iconic police station scene where Amitabh Bachchan tells Pran 'Jab tak betne ko kaha nahi jaye sharafat se khade raho yeh police station hai tumhare baap ka ghar nahi' and Pran dancing to the 'Yaari hai imaan mera zindagi'
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After the film Pran and Amitabh Bachchan worked together in end number of films in span of 25 years. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the film banked heavily on Pran as Amitabh Bachchan had no box office value then.
When the film released in theatre’s on summer of 11th May 1973 it was unstoppable seeing Amitabh Bachchan in a complete different role as a dare devil cop who got the image of Angry young man.
Jaya Bachchan as de-glam street performer with knives looked perfect for the role. But Ajit playing the smuggler had very soft spoken character may be due to which nobody suspected him to be smuggler.
The other supporting cast of the film also played an important role Bindu who played glamorous moll of Ajit and danced to the cabaret song 'Dil Jalo Ka Dil Jala Ke'. Om Prakaksh as drunkard De Silva who helps Vijay with smugglers information.
One of the actors who later became integral part of Amitabh Bachchan’s every film until 90s was Goga Kapoor. After Amitabh Bachchan signed the film he recommended Goga Kapoor for the film as in his early career during theater days he had directed him in his play Othello in the 60s.
Zanjeer was actually a big risk to be made in the era of romantic films but with this film the action hero era started in Hindi films and there was no looking back for Amitabh Bachchan who was about to leave the industry due to his failing career went on to become the biggest star of the Hindi film industry.
The legacy of the of film continues even after 50 years people still love to watch it on television and home video. In 2013 the film was remade by the same title staring Ram Charan on debut, Priyankka Chopra, Prakash Raj and Sanajay Dutt directed by Apoorva Lakhia. But the film was complete washout as Zanjeer can be made only once and not without Amitabh Bachchan.
After Zanjeer, Amitabh Bachchan and Prakash Mehra together gave hits like Hera Pheri (1976), Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978), Laawaris (1981), Namak Haram (1982) and Sharaabhi (1984).
(Writer of this article: Alex Almeida is a passionate Hindi cinema buff with a deep love for the art of storytelling. Having grown up watching Indian cinema since its inception, Alex has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings to his writing. He has been recognized for his top contributions to IMDb, where he has shared his expertise and insights with other cinema enthusiasts. Through his writing, Alex strives to share the untold stories and fascinating insights behind some of the most beloved films and artists in Indian cinema.)
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