, starring , is one of the best Hindi films starring the megastar. It is this 1988 movie that gave Big B the title of ‘Shahenshah’ of Bollywood. Directed by Tinnu Anand, the action film also stars Meenakshi Seshadri, Sudhir, Amrish Puri, and several others. Jaya Bachchan wrote the story of one of Amitabh’s most loved Hindi films. But, did you know, there was a time when the makers were planning to replace Big B?
When the movie was announced, was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis; it’s an autoimmune disease that leads to the weakening of muscles. The actor suffered from this condition sometime after he was badly injured on the sets of Coolie, which almost claimed his life. As Big B was not able to give time for the film due to his condition, it caused severe financial strain to Tinnu Anand, who directed and produced the movie. The filmmaker revealed that his situation was such that creditors started showing up at his place, asking for repayment.
In an interview, director Tinnu Anand revealed that the movie was cancelled after thousands and lakhs of rupees were invested in it. It was impossible for him to repay such a huge amount to the creditors. That’s when he started looking for other actors to play Amitabh Bachchan’s role. Tinnu told Radio Nasha that the actors he considered were and Jeetendra.
In this , we would like to inform our readers that Tinnu Anand told the radio channel that Jackie Shroff made the most out of the publicity of the possibility of replacing Amitabh. “He enjoyed the attention he was receiving about possibly replacing Amitabh Bachchan in Shahenshah. He signed three or four more films because of that buzz. Jeetendra, on the other hand, said, ‘I don’t think I can fit into Amitabh’s shoes’,” revealed the director.
Eventually, the director realised that no one can replace Amitabh. The project was shelved and Tinnu started doing ad films to earn money. When things got back on track, he finished the movies that were left incomplete.
