Did you know Dharmendra was the first choice for Amitabh Bachchan’s role in Zanjeer?

Amitabh Bachchan was struggling at the box office at the time when Zanjeer (1973) turned the tables on him. Apart from making him the "angry young man" that Bollywood had been waiting for, the 1973 film was also a launching pad for Bachchan as he strode towards being a superstar. But won’t you be surprised to know that Big B was not the first choice for the role?

The first choice, however, was Dharmendra. Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan may have worked together on multiple hits. However, the former was partly responsible for Big B's rise to stardom. Dharmendra had shown interest in playing the lead role in Zanjeer. So how did Amitabh Bachchan get the role?

In a recent interview, filmmaker Prakash Mehra’s son, Puneet revealed that Dharmendra had the script for Zanjeer and since his previous collaboration with Prakash Mehra, Samadhi (1972), was a hit, the actor proposed Zanjeer to the director, who fell in love with the plot right away, with Dharmendra playing the lead. The actor, however, was kept busy for a year. Prakash Mehra, on the other hand, couldn't wait and "purchased the script from him for Rs 3,500," said Puneet.

Many people were critical of Prakash Mehra's decision, believing that casting someone who had no hits was a bad idea. He was called "senile" by many. Zanjeer, on the other hand, turned out to be a major hit at the box office, surprising one and all.