Dharmendra responded to Javed Akhtar's assertion that he was the original choice for the role in Zanjeer. He said that initially rejecting the movie had been an "emotional" challenge.
“Amitabh Bachchan was actually the last choice for Zanjeer. The script was written for Dharmendra ji, but for some reason, he refused to work on it. Prakash Mehra (the director of the film) had a script, but no leading man. He went from actor to actor to offer the role. Everybody refused to do the film,” Akhtar, had told India Today.
Dharmendra reacted in a tweet to this and wrote, “Javed, kaise ho……. dikhave ki iss duniya mein haqeeqaten dabi rah jaati hain. Jeetey raho….. Dilon ko gudgudana khoob aata hai….. kaash sar chad ke bolne ka jaadu bhi sekh liya hota….. (How are you doing Javed. Reality often remains unheard in this world full of show offs. I know how to make people laugh… wish I could learn the art of speaking my mind).”
He added, “Refusing Zanjeer, was an emotional hurdle which i have mentioned in aap ki Adaalat. So please don’t misunderstand me. i always love Javed and Amit.”
The film was rejected because of an alleged feud between Dharmendra's cousin and Prakash Mehra, the actor remarked in the aforementioned interview.
Amitabh Bachchan stars in the 1973 action-thriller Zanjeer, which was scripted by the renowned team Salim-Javed. Amitabh Bachchan's portrayal in the movie as a "angry young man" served to channel the audience's displeasure and wrath toward a dysfunctional system. Jaya Bachchan also appeared in the movie. Later, Salim Khan claimed that since Javed Akhtar wasn't his writing partner at the time, he should receive credit for the movie's script.
