Amitabh Bachchan’s stardom is still unmatched even after decades of ruling over Bollywood. From being called the ‘angry young man’ to establishing himself as ‘Big B’, the actor reached the peak of his career long ago and has never looked back. However, recently veteran lyricist and writer, Javed Akhtar talked about how Jaya Bachchan always trusted Amitabh and his talent even when he was giving a string of flops before Zanjeer.
Jaya Bachchan had great respect for Amitabh Bachchan’s talent, even though his 11 films had flopped
Amitabh Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 with the film, Saat Hindustani. However, he received recognition after appearing in a supporting role in Rajesh Khanna’s film, Anand. This helped him to lend lead roles, but unfortunately all of these movies tanked in the box office. However veteran writer, Javed Akhtar said in an interview with Hook Global that there were a few people who recongised his talent and knew that he was a “volcano, waiting to erupt”. He said that one of those person was Jaya Bachchan (Jaya Bhaduri then), who wasn’t yet married to Big B at the time. However she had great respect for his talent. Javed Akhtar was quoted as saying:
“Jaya ji wasn’t his wife then, knew what he was and had great respect for his talent. Hrishikesh Mukherjee had a great respect for his talent, and kept on giving him work. We saw him in a film that didn’t do well, but we could see that he is a volcano, waiting to erupt. He was very good in his worst films also. The film was bad, the script was bad, the dialogue was bad, the screenplay was wrong, but his work was impeccable. We had total confidence. Here is a major, major star who was waiting for the right opportunity.”
Javed Akhtar recalls narrating the script of Zanjeer to Amitabh Bachchan
The iconic writer duo, Salim-Javed, wrote the script of Zanjeer. However, Javed Akhtar claimed in the interview that it was he who was completely sure that no one could pull off the role of ‘Vijay’ like Amitabh Bachchan could. The actor was sitting around jobless at the time when Javed approached him with the script. Even though the lyricist hardly knew Amitabh, he was very certain that there’s no one who would be more perfect for the role than him. Javed Akhtar said:
“We had met only once before. I called him. I said, ‘There is a script I would like to narrate to you. When can I meet you?’ He summoned me immediately, because he was sitting around jobless. I went an narrated the complete script, and he looked at me with wonder. He asked, ‘Do you think I can pull this role off?’ I said, ‘Nobody in this country can play it better than you’.”
More about the film Zanjeer
Zanjeer revolutionised the image of Bollywood heroes in those days. The hero who used to dance in romantic songs in the garden was transformed into a rebel, angry and frustrated at the system, as Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Vijay’. The film not only cemented the main lead’s career but also launched the illustrious careers of the iconic writer duo, Salim-Javed, aka Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. When it was released, the film was a box office super hit and minted Rs. 17 crores in 1973. If adjusted for inflation, this is equivalent to earning approximately more than Rs. 500 crores now.
What are your thoughts on Jaya Bachchan having great respect for Amitabh Bachchan, even though he had a string of flops after his debut?
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