Producer who stood outside Amitabh Bachchan’s house on Sundays gave him his biggest hit during his bankruptcy phase

Amitabh Bachchan was trying his best to regain his stardom in the 1990s but all he was getting was films like Mrityudaata and Lal Baadshah, until this comedy came along.

Amitabh Bachchan's biggest hit during his low phase came from a producer who had once stood outside his gate to catch a glimpse of the star. (Photo: Express Archives)

Amitabh Bachchan is undeniably one of the most successful movie stars in India but through his five-decade long career, he hasn’t always been successful. There was a phase in the 1990s, when Amitabh returned to the movies after his stint in politics, but things were not going his way. The ‘angry young man’ era was over, and Bachchan found himself struggling to play the leading man romancing much younger female actors. At the same time, his production house was going through a lull, and none of his films were working at the box office. At this time, Bachchan appeared in a comedy film that, at least for a moment, provided a glimmer of hope, and this film was Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

Directed by David Dhawan, and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan released in the same era as Mrityudaata, Lal Baadshah, Sooryavansham, Kohram but it stood out as it presented Bachchan in a new avatar. Govinda was his co-star in the film, and since he was the bigger star at this time, his presence certainly helped the film’s fate. For Vashu Bhagnani, casting Bachchan was like coming full circle as he too, like thousands of others, had stood outside Bachchan’s house to wave at him on Sundays.

In a chat shared on IIMUN’s YouTube channel, Jackky Bhagnani spoke about his father’s struggles as he said, “I was 4-years-old when we came to Mumbai, with nothing in my father’s pocket. We used to stand outside Amitabh Bachchan’s house on Sundays to have candy floss.” So when Vashu made a film with the star, he was over the moon. By then, he had had successes with Coolie No 1, Hero No 1 and Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya.

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In an earlier chat with Connect FM Canada, Vashu Bhagnani shared that even though Govinda overshadowed Amitabh Bachchan, he could only do so because was supported by the veteran actor. “The whole world used to say this, and if the whole world felt this way, who am I to say otherwise? But the fact is that if Amit ji wasn’t in the film, Govinda wouldn’t have had the opportunity to shine like he did. It was because of Amit ji that Govinda garnered more appreciation.”

He also shared something that shines some light on Amitabh’s mental state back then. “One day, Amit ji said, ‘Yaar maidaan agar khol do, dekhte hain kya hoga (Level the playing field, then we’ll see what happens).’ But Amit ji has a different sophistication, and Govinda had his own style. Together, the pair was too good. They could just stand silently and the job would be done,” he said.

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan became one of the biggest hits of that year but could not revive Big B’s career, which eventually happened with Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein and the television show Kaun Banega Crorepati.

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