Whenever we mention popular baddies of Bollywood, the late Amrish Puri, and his iconic character Mogambo instantly come to our mind. Legendary actor Amrish Puri immortalised evil Mogambo on the big screen with his powerful performance in Mr India (1987). Shekhar Kapur-directed Mr India not only was blockbuster at the box office, but the characters of the movie have also earned a cult following.
Who doesn't remember, Amrish's iconic voice saying, "Mogambo khush hua". It seems like the late iconic actor was destined to play the role, as he wasn't the original choice for the character. Yes, Amrish Puri wasn't the original choice for Mogambo, but another popular actor was signed to play the evil mastermind.
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Mogambo was originally offered to...
Anupam Kher. Yes, the veteran actor was signed to play Mogambo in Mr India, but he was replaced. Interestingly, Anupam was replaced by the actor's best friend, Anil Kapoor. Back in 2018, Anupam made this sensational reveal on his show, The Anupam Kher Show.
While hosting, Anil Kapoor's daughter, Sonam Kapoor, and his nephew, Arjun Kapoor, Anupam revealed that he was signed to play the antagonist in Mr India, but Anil was responsible for replacing him. Anupam said, "Aaplog jaante hain ki Mr. India mein Mogambo ka role main karna waala tha? Aur mujhe nikalwaane mein kiska bada haath tha? Anil Kapoor sahab ka! Frustration mein main Javed (Akhtar) saahab se milne gaya aur unhone kaha ki wo role Amrish Puri ji kar rahe hain, aur mujhe sunke bada dukh hua.
He continued, "Iske baad main aur Anil bahut aache dost ban gaye, aur chaar-paanch saal pehle, mujhe bolte hain, tereko pata hai kisne nikala tha? Maine poocha kisne? To bolte hain, maine! Kitna accha kaam kiya na..maine puccha kya accha kaam kiya? To kehta hai dekh kitna accha kaam kiya role kiya Amrish Puri sahab ne!" Mr India also stars late Sridevi and late Satish Kaushik.
