In the golden period of Hindi cinema, when star power, glamour and dramatic tones ruled the film industry, one movie quietly emerged from the dust. With a budget of Rs 90 lakh in the 1970s, the project was already seen as the forgotten one. Even five of the most iconic actors rejected the movie at that time. The story of this film was too far away from the trends of just lightweight storytelling, which audiences usually adored. Well, this reason ultimately becomes the most defining factor of the film. This film is none other than the unforgettable masterpiece ‘Zanjeer’.
During the times when the spotlight was on the romantic heroes, ‘Zanjeer’ takes a risky step by donning the tale of rage, injustice and revenge. When almost every big star turned down the offer to join the film as lead, a struggling actor whose career was drowning down by a series of flops stepped up and took the charge as lead for this film. The actor is none other than Amitabh Bachchan. His decision just changed his destiny forever.
The movie was rejected by five superstars of the era: Raaj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. Released in 1973, ‘Zanjeer’ is still considered a classic and started a new era of action heroes on the big screen.
The story of ‘Zanjeer’ revolves around a suspended inspector, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan), who is on a path to find the murderer of his parents. With the help of a wise girl and a foe who is now a friend, Vijay is all set to take revenge.
From the very first moment it hit the screens, ‘Zanjeer’ just announced the arrival of something Bollywood had never witnessed before. The intensity of Amitabh as the lead, the raw presence of dialogues and the simplicity of its direction broke every narration. The audience also found an overnight star, who is going to rule the industry for a long reign of time.
What started as a gamble later became a landmark in the Indian Film Industry. The same film, which was taken down by the high-profile actors, became the foundation of the ‘angry young man’ persona that would dominate Bollywood for over a decade.
