Written by Salim-Javed and directed by Prakash Mehra, Zanjeer was the breakthrough film for Amitabh Bachchan. In the docuseries Angry Young Men, Jaya Bachchan revealed why she didn't wish to do the film.
The docuseries Angry Young Men chronicles the life of the legendary screenwriters Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. The three-part series, which began streaming on Prime Video from August 20, has superstars from Dharmendra and Hema Malini to Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan talking about the duo Salim-Javed and their impact on Hindi cinema.
Salim-Javed came into limelight after the 1973 release Zanjeer, than introduced Amitabh Bachchan's 'Angry Young Man' persona in Bollywood. The film was rejected by multiple superstars including Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, and Raaj Kumar. Even Amitabh had decided to leave Bollywood after a string of several flops, until the screenwriters narrated him Zanjeer. The crime drama went on to become a blockbuster and his life was changed altogether.
In the series Angry Young Men, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan shared their memories of how they felt when Zanjeer was offered to them. Big B said, "At a stage when you have failed in many of the attempts you’ve made in the profession, you actually enjoy the fact that somebody is coming to narrate a script to you rather than being dismissive. Just the fact that Salim-Javed wished to come and see me for a narration was in itself a huge moment."
Jaya Bachchan revealed that even she didn't want to be a part of Zanjeer. She said, "I didn’t want to do Zanjeer. I basically never wanted to be a part of a male-centric cinema. It was a male-centric film. Salim sahab and Javed sahab, they were very straight-forward. They had tried a lot of other women actors, but of course, they all had refused. And they said, ‘you can’t say no, we need you’. Of course, another temptation was my co-star. So I thought at least we’d get to spend some time together."
Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan were involved in a romantic relationship then. The Prakash Mehra directorial Zanjeer hit the theatres on May 11, 1973, and once it conquered the box office in India, the two actors decided to get married on June 3 in the same year. Jaya and Amitabh then starred in multiple hits together, such as Sholay, Chupke Chupke, Mili, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and others.
READ | This Shah Rukh Khan flop was rejected by Hrithik Roshan, actress quit Bollywood; film later became cult classic, won...
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 "Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in Zanjeer")
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