“They had tried a lot of other women actors"
In a recent documentary titled Angry Young Men, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan discussed what led her to say yes to Zanjeer.
Jaya Bachchan expressed that she was initially hesitant to join the cast of Zanjeer.
She highlighted her reluctance to be part of what she thought was a male-centric film.
Jaya said: “I never wanted to be a part of male-centric cinema. Zanjeer was a male-centric film.
“They had tried a lot of other women actors, but they all refused. They said, ‘You can’t say no. We need you’.”
She later admitted that another motivation for accepting was that she would have more time to spend with her co-star.
Jaya said: “So I thought at least we’d get to spend some time together.”
This was a crucial time in Amitabh’s career, having struggled in the industry and having a string of unsuccessful films.
In the documentary, the couple credited the screenwriting duo Salim-Javed for recognising Amitabh’s potential when he needed more commercial success.
It was also revealed that Amitabh was not the first choice for the role of Inspector Vijay in Zanjeer.
The role was initially offered to Dev Anand, who was concerned the film would be unsuccessful because the absence of songs would make it less attractive to the audience.
Subsequently, Salim-Javed noticed Amitabh for his performance in Mehmood’s Bombay to Goa.
In the documentary, they stated how impressed they were by Amitabh’s confidence and that a fighting scene in the film convinced them Amitabh was the right fit for the role of Inspector Vijay.
Amitabh said: “At a stage when you have failed in many of the attempts you’ve made in the profession, you enjoy the fact that somebody is coming to narrate a script to you rather than being dismissive.
“Just that Salim-Javed wished to come and see me for a narration was a huge moment.”
Therefore, Zanjeer marked a significant turning point in Amitabh’s career.
In the documentary, Salim said: “A new hero had stormed into the (Hindi) film industry after Zanjeer. This is a new hero.
“A hero who doesn’t sing songs doesn’t do romance, doesn’t break into comedy. The other characters were doing all that. But not the hero.”
Amitabh and Jaya’s collaboration on the film was a huge commercial success.
Just a month after the film’s June 1973 release, the couple tied the knot, marking their personal and professional union.
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