Amitabh Bachchan turns 82: 'Angry Young Man' wanted to play baddie in this iconic film, ended up 'getting killed'

Millennium star Amitabh Bachchan today turns 82. Born on October 11, 1942, the 'Angry Young Man' has come along a long way and engraved several milestones throughout his illustrious career spanning over five decades. Throughout his remarkable career, he has worked in over 190 movies and delivered several blockbusters. He has worked in several classic movies and made his roles iconic with his stellar performance; be it Zanjeer, Kalia, Deewar, Sholay, Agneepath, Mohabbatein, Black or Paa. He played the protagonist and ruled the hearts and screens. But, did you in one of his iconic films, he wanted to play the baddie but was replaced by a newbie and later he landed in the protagonist's role and got killed?

Big B wanted to play Gabbar Singh!

1975's Sholay, helmed by Ramesh Sippy, is regarded as a cult classic to date and remains the biggest Indian cinema. The 'Angry Young Man' played Jai's role while Dharmendra portrayed Veeru's role in the movie. While Sanjeev Kumar played Thakur's role, newbie Amjad Khan played the role of notorious bandit Gabbar Singh. But, Amitabh Bachchan was eager to play the baddie role in the movie. Even Sanjeev Kumar was interested in becoming the antagonist.

During a roundtable conversation with Prime Video, iconic writer-duo Salim-Javed, revealed the lesser-known behind-the-scenes tale. Recalling some lighthearted banter and heartwarming anecdotes of Sholay, Salim-Javed revealed that both Amitabh and Sanjeev were eager to play Gabbar Singh's role.

Salim Khan said, "Film ki jitni star cast thi, everybody wanted to play Gabbar's role. Amitabh Bachchan too wanted to play the role of Gabbar. Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan both came to me and asked. Dharam Ji never asked for Gabbar's role. He was very happy with his role."

However, the role landed with debutant Amjad Khan and the rest is history. On the other hand, Dharmendra played Veeru's role while Amitabh played Jai's role, who gets killed while battling the bandits all alone. Indeed, the emotional scene remains etched in the hearts of movie lovers to date.

Truth behind Sholay

Sharing more intriguing insights into making Sholay, Javed Akhtar revealed that the storyline of the movie was originally conceived by Salim Khan in which the two main characters, Jai and Veeru, were former army recruits. However, producer G.P. Sippy advised against depicting them as soldiers, citing potential limitations in creative liberties.

Salim Khan also shared the inspiration behind the character of Gabbar Singh. He revealed that the name and concept were derived from real-life stories of a feared dacoit who terrorized people by killing and mutilating his victims.

Salim recalled, "My father was a high-ranking police officer. We heard stories of a dacoit named Gabbar Singh. He used to kill people and chop off their noses too."

Well, each of the characters in Sholay became iconic and immortal. Be it Thakur, Basanti, Jai, Veeru, Gabbar, Kalia, Sambha or Imaam Saheb, every character has its own identity. Even several dialogues from the movie, especially Amitabh's, like 'Tumhara Naam Kya Hai Basanti,' and 'Mera Dil Hi Kuch Aisa Hai' still reverberated.

Dreams fulfilled after years!

Well, Big B's dream of playing the baddie was fulfilled years later in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. Bachchan played the role of notorious dacoit Babban Singh's role.

Though Amitabh Bachchan is loved for his versatility, the audience couldn't accept the matinee idol as a baddie. Even at this age, he holds the calibre to carry a film on his shoulder. His recent release Vettaiyan with Rajinikanth has been the talk of the town.