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Veteran actor Dharmendra, who began his film journey in 1960, had by the 1970s become one of Hindi cinema’s most bankable stars—effortlessly balancing larger-than-life action roles with heartfelt performances in films by masters like Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. During this golden phase, he was also the original choice for Zanjeer, the film that would later redefine Amitabh Bachchan’s career.

Dharmendra was supposed to do Zanjeer

According to Diptakirti Chaudhuri’s book 'Written By Salim-Javed', writer Salim Khan had initially conceived Zanjeer before teaming up with Javed Akhtar. Inspired by his father’s experiences as a police officer in the Chambal region, Salim’s story found its first believer in Dharmendra, who reportedly purchased the concept for ₹2,500. At the time, Dharmendra was set to play the lead, with his brother Ajit producing the project alongside director Prakash Mehra.

However, the plan fell apart when Dharmendra and his brother parted ways on the production. Salim recalled that after Dharmendra’s exit, the film was offered to Dilip Kumar, who also declined. Eventually, Zanjeer landed in Amitabh Bachchan’s hands—and the rest became cinematic history.

Bobby Deol on why Dharmendra left Zanjeer

Years later, Dharmendra’s son, actor Bobby Deol, revealed a personal reason behind his father’s decision to leave the film. In an interview with Instant Bollywood, he said, “When Zanjeer was offered, Dad wanted to do it. However, humari ek cousin sister thi, aur unki shayad koi problem ho gayi thi Prakash Mehra Ji se (We had a cousin who apparently had some issues with Prakash Mehra). She came to the house one day and said, ‘Aapko meri kasam, agar aapne yeh film ki toh aap meri dead body dekhoge’ (‘Swear on me, if you do this film, you’ll see my dead body’). So my father had to give up on Zanjeer.”

Amitabh Bachchan was the last choice for Zanjeer

In 2022, writer Javed Akhtar mentioned in an interview with India Today that Amitabh Bachchan had been the “last choice” for Zanjeer after several big names, including Dharmendra, had turned it down. Responding to this, Dharmendra wrote, “Javed, kaise ho… dikhave ki iss duniya mein haqeeqaten dabi rah jaati hain. Jeetey raho… Dilon ko gudgudana khoob aata hai… kaash sar chad ke bolne ka jaadu bhi sekh liya hota (How are you doing Javed? Reality often remains unheard in this world full of show-offs. I know how to make people laugh… wish I could learn the art of speaking my mind).”

Directed by Prakash Mehra, Zanjeer ultimately catapulted Amitabh Bachchan to stardom, also featuring Pran and Jaya Bachchan in key roles—a turning point not just in his career, but in the history of Hindi cinema.