If there is one name that represents Indian cinema in its entirety, it has to be Amitabh Bachchan. The megastar, who has ruled the business for decades and continues to re-establish himself as the unparalleled star, has over the years stayed relevant and is one of the very few stars who could evolve and rebrand themselves with the times. But even after all these years, varied characters, many genres, and a long list of films, one label that he walks around with and is now synonymous with his name is The Angry Young Man. It was the 1975 Yash Chopra directorial Deewaar that established him as the unbeatable Angry Young Man, and there is no going back now. But what if we tell you it was Shatrughan Sinha who was the first choice for the film?

Amitabh Bachchan Wasn't The First Choice For Deewaar?

Even we were shocked, you guys! Over the years, there is no way we could even remotely bring close to the title of Angry Young Man. It had to be Amitabh Bachchan and his iconic performance in Deewaar. But it turns out there is also a behind-the-scenes twist in the tale when it comes to the film. As per Shatrughan Sinha himself, he was first offered Deewaar, but he couldn't do it even when the script of the movie was with him for close to six months. Read on to learn everything you should know about the same.

For the uninitiated, back in 1975, Amitabh Bachchan was fresh out of Zanjeer, about to become the cult with Sholay, and between these two was Deewaar. A Yash Chopra movie that was commercial but also a fresh script amid the pool of similar-sounding stories. However, it was first with Shatrughan Sinha, who now regrets not doing it, and the reason behind him not doing it was the clash of thoughts.

In a conversation with Aaj Tak in the past, Shatrughan Sinha recalled returning the Deewaar script and how he regrets that decision. He said, “I must have done about 250 films… There are certain films that I regret not being able to do, like Deewaar. It was written for me. They had approached me. The script was with me for about six months. There was a clash of thoughts between some people, and I returned the script.”

About Deewaar

Written by the legendary writers duo Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, Deewaar was directed by Yash Chopra himself, who added stars to this already shining story. It stars Amitabh Bachchan alongside Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Nirupa Roy, Neetu Singh, Manmohan Krishna, and an ensemble cast. It is about two brothers falling on different sides of the fence: one a king of the underworld and the other an upright police officer. What happens when duty has to be kept before family? Chopra explores that.

Deewaar is now streaming on Zee5 in India, and you can watch the film with your OTTplay Premium subscription. 

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