Prakash Mehra’s “Zanjeer’ redefined B’town’s portrayal of ‘Angry Young Man’

The Prakash Mehra produced-directorial Zanjeer is a paramount Hindi that redefined Bollywood’s portrayal of the “angry young man” through Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic role as Inspector Vijay Khanna.

At first, the success of the film was not guaranteed. Prakash Mehra had approached actors of that era Raajkumar, Dev Anand Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, but they turned down the role, as they were unwilling to break from their “romantic hero” image. But, It was veteran actor Pran who recommended Amitabh Bachchan to
Producer-director Prakash Mehra to cast him. Prakash Mehra couldn’t refuse Pran for whom he had the highest regards. Infact, at that time around, Amitabh was considered a “failed newcomer”. This decision of the veteran filmmaker marked the beginning of Bachchan’s legendary career. The film’s action sequences and his effortless portrayal as Inspector Vijay Khanna struck a chord with the audiences and established him as the star of the decade​.

Another recondite fact over Zanjeer involves its production history. The Salim-Javed scripted film was initially picked up by Dharmendra from them, but due to a lack of funds and distributors, the film almost didn’t see the light of day.

To boot, the movie’s promotional posters were released sans the names of Salim-Javed, leading them to take matters into their own hands by hiring a man to stencil their names on the posters, albeit with some humorous mishaps​.

These behind-the-scenes stories showcase the film’s journey from an uncertain start to emerging as one of the most iconic films in Indian cinema in the 70s. It gave to the Industry an actor- an
‘Angry Young Man’ in Amitabh Bachchan.

News Edit KV Raman

Prakash Mehra’s “Zanjeer’ redefined B’town’s portrayal of ‘Angry Young Man’

The Prakash Mehra produced-directorial Zanjeer is a paramount Hindi that redefined Bollywood’s portrayal of the “angry young man” through Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic role as Inspector Vijay Khanna.

At first, the success of the film was not guaranteed. Prakash Mehra had approached actors of that era Raajkumar, Dev Anand Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, but they turned down the role, as they were unwilling to break from their “romantic hero” image. But, It was veteran actor Pran who recommended Amitabh Bachchan to
Producer-director Prakash Mehra to cast him. Prakash Mehra couldn’t refuse Pran for whom he had the highest regards. Infact, at that time around, Amitabh was considered a “failed newcomer”. This decision of the veteran filmmaker marked the beginning of Bachchan’s legendary career. The film’s action sequences and his effortless portrayal as Inspector Vijay Khanna struck a chord with the audiences and established him as the star of the decade​.

Another recondite fact over Zanjeer involves its production history. The Salim-Javed scripted film was initially picked up by Dharmendra from them, but due to a lack of funds and distributors, the film almost didn’t see the light of day.

To boot, the movie’s promotional posters were released sans the names of Salim-Javed, leading them to take matters into their own hands by hiring a man to stencil their names on the posters, albeit with some humorous mishaps​.

These behind-the-scenes stories showcase the film’s journey from an uncertain start to emerging as one of the most iconic films in Indian cinema in the 70s. It gave to the Industry an actor- an
‘Angry Young Man’ in Amitabh Bachchan.

News Edit KV Raman