Amol Palekar recalls how he was recast in his first film because he refused to stand in a queue, director said he was ‘arrogant’

Amol Palekar was known as the relatable boy-next-door in the 1970s as he worked in films like Chhoti Si Baat, Rajnigandha, Chitchor among many others. But before he tasted success with these movies, Amol was offered the lead role in Basu Chatterjee’s 1972 film Piya Ka Ghar which starred Jaya Bachchan. Amol, in a recent interview, recalled that Basu Chatterjee brought the film to him and he agreed to be a part of it, but he was soon replaced as Basu found him “arrogant”.

Amol recalled that the director presented him with the film offer and he said yes almost immediately. The movie was being produced by Rajshri Productions which was headed by Tarachand Barjatya in those days. He recalled, “After a few conversations, Basu da asked me to go and meet Tarachand Barjatya. I asked why. He said Rajshri is producing so you should go and meet him. I said, ‘No, I won’t go.’ He was surprised and asked why. I said the simple reason is that if you have selected me for a role, if you have faith in me so you must take me and introduce me to him in a dignified way, introduce me properly to him.”

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Amol Palekar said that he did not want to go and stand in a queue to meet the producer for a film where the director had already approved of him. “(I said) I won’t go there and stand in a queue. He was quite taken aback. He said you haven’t even started your career yet and you have so much arrogance. I said, ‘That’s how I am,’” he recalled. “Obviously, it didn’t work out and Anil Dhawan was cast in Piya Ka Ghar,” he shared.

But, this did not sour their relationship as Basu Chatterjee then approached Amol Palekar for Rajnigandha, Chhoti Si Baat and Chitchor, which were all silver-jubilee hits. Chitchor was produced by Rajshri Productions.