How Amitabh Bachchan outshined Rajesh Khanna: The untold casting drama behind Deewaar

Director Rajiv Rai, the son of veteran producer Gulshan Rai, recently reflected on the casting decisions behind the iconic film Deewaar, which marked a turning point in Amitabh Bachchan’s career. Although Deewaar went on to become a blockbuster and solidified Bachchan’s image as the “angry young man” of Bollywood, the actor’s casting was not a straightforward choice at the time.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Nasha, Rajiv Rai addressed long-standing rumors that Rajesh Khanna was initially considered for the lead role. He clarified that while Khanna had a close relationship with Yash Chopra, who directed the film, and his father, Gulshan Rai, the script was never narrated to Khanna. Rajiv emphasized that the decision to cast Bachchan was strongly influenced by the film's writers, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who believed that Bachchan was the perfect fit for the role. At the time of casting, Bachchan had yet to achieve stardom, as his breakout film Zanjeer had not even been released. Rajiv mentioned that Salim-Javed had to convince his father to take a chance on the relatively unknown actor.

Salim Khan himself had previously stated that casting Khanna would have been a compromise, as they felt Bachchan was the ideal choice for Deewaar. Despite Khanna being a major star at the time, Salim and Javed insisted that Bachchan was the only one who could do justice to the role. Salim Khan also recalled how Bachchan’s introduction created a strong alternative to Khanna, whose career trajectory began to wane as Bachchan rose to prominence.

Reports suggest that even Yash Chopra grew frustrated with Khanna’s alleged tantrums, citing his demands and late-night socializing as obstacles to working with him. According to Rajesh Khanna’s biography, Chopra expressed his exasperation with the superstar’s unprofessional behavior, which further highlighted the challenges producers faced at the time.

Ultimately, Bachchan’s casting in Deewaar marked a pivotal moment in Indian cinema, shaping the trajectory of Bollywood’s storytelling and redefining the archetype of the Bollywood hero. The film’s success and Bachchan’s subsequent rise to superstardom underscore the importance of casting choices in creating cinematic history.