Salim Khan recalls how actresses refused to work in Amitabh Bachchan’s Zanjeer: ‘He was ready to quit films’

Salim-Javed decided to zero in on Amitabh Bachchan. They had been impressed with Amitabh’s earlier films, including Bombay To Goa, Parwana and Raaste Ke Patthar. However, director Prakash Mehra wasn’t keen on signing him for the film seeing his record of flops at the box office.

Explaining how Amitabh joined the cast of the film, Salim Khan said, “He was also new—he was a good actor, no doubt about that, with a good voice and personality. The rest of the films that failed, were because they were bad films, actors usually have to take the blame for that. Eleven films flopped. He had already decided to leave the industry and go.”  Salim Khan revealed that he had to get Jaya Bachchan on board, who was at the time a top star, in order to fuel the saleability of the film. “And also at the time, heroines did not want to take on less roles. Ultimately, I suggested to take Jaya Bachchan for the film, and she would do it for him. I told her the story, and she said ‘there’s nothing for me to do…’ I said there’s nothing much here, but this is for Amitabh Bachchan and this would be explosive for his career.”

Zanjeer became one of the most iconic hits of Bollywood. The film carved the archetype of ‘the angry young man’, and Amitabh Bachchan became synonymous with the phrase, as he played the role of a man who takes on a corrupt system.