When Amitabh Bachchan shelved entire shoot for K Bhagyaraj’s directorial “Khabardar”

When Amitabh Bachchan shelved entire shoot for
K Bhagyaraj’s directorial “Khabardar”

While the Nag Ashwin’s directorial Kalki 2898 AD emerged a the talk of the town post hoc its release has been receiving accolades for two characters Amitabh Bachchan
as Ashwatthama, the cursed warrior from Mahabharata, Kamal Haasan as
Ulaganayagan plays Yaskin, ruler of the complex.
Both the legends act as the strong walls of this fort and take the film to another level.

While the two have been winning accolades for their performances in Kalki 2898 AD, there was once a time when Amitabh Bachchan felt threatened by Kamal Haasan‘s acting prowess and popularity, so much so that he went to the extent of shelving a film where he felt Haasan would overshadow him!

This anecdote goes back to the time of 80s when the Senior Bachchan was at his peak in the Indian Cinema meanwhile Kamal Haasan was growing with every film he starred in.

They came together for a
T Rama Rao’s directorial
Khabardar, a social drama amid a terminally ill patient and a doctor, where the Senior Bachchan played the doctor. It also featured Jaya Prada and Sridevi in the lead.

However, after shoot of major portions of the film, it abruptly got shelved. In an interview, Kamal Haasan in the late 90s recalled that the film stopped midway, and he was paid half remuneration as well.

Much later, in another interview, director K Bhagyaraj recounted what happened to Khabardar and that it had something to do with Amitabh Bachchan.

In an interview director opened up that as per the script, Kamal Haasan had to die, and only then would it be apt for the story. But then Kamal Haasan will have all the names from the film, and Amitabh’s character will not stand in people’s minds much. This didn’t go well with Amitabh, and he declined to do the film and never wanted to
damage the name he had made over the years for one film. He then offered bulk dates to the producers of Khabardar as compensation.

Khabardar never saw the light of day, but the two actors came together for a film titled Geraftar in 1985.

News Edit K.V.Raman