Can you imagine Mr India without Anil Kapoor? Javed Akhtar reveals THIS superstar was original choice for film

The movie “Mr. India,” starring Anil Kapoor, is a timeless classic in Indian cinema. It holds a cherished spot in viewers’ hearts and continues to be re-watched. Yet, it’s hard to imagine the film without Anil Kapoor. Interestingly, the screenwriter Javed Akhtar disclosed that “Mr. India” was initially written with Amitabh Bachchan in mind as the first choice. He also discussed how Anil ended up joining the cast.

During an interview on the Sit With Hitlist series with Mid-day, Javed Akhtar disclosed that Amitabh Bachchan was initially chosen to play the role of Mr. India, a character whose script was penned by Salim-Javed. He reminisced about how director and producer Pramod Chakravorty had already begun production on the film with Big B in the starring role.

Despite the superstar being unable to attend the initial scene, his voice was played from a cassette instead. This sparked an idea in the seasoned lyricist: they could create a character who is ‘not visibly present but impactful’ using the ‘widely recognized and powerful’ voice of the star.

He said, “If this popular and powerful voice is so effective, why not make an invisible man using it? He wouldn’t need to provide dates; mainly, he would just dub his voice. When we (Salim-Javed) split up, the circumstances suddenly shifted.” But, an unforeseen change in circumstances occurred when the duo Salim-Javed decided to go separate ways.

Following the separation, the screenplay stayed with Javed Akhtar, while Boney Kapoor acquired it to introduce Anil Kapoor and Sridevi through it. Simultaneously, Javed Akhtar hinted that there had been rumors suggesting Amitabh Bachchan as the cause of their breakup.

To put an end to those rumors, he chose not to collaborate with the superstar for a decade. However, their next project together was in 1989, when they worked on the film “Main Azaad Hoon.

For those unfamiliar, the classic movie Mr. India centers on a destitute man portrayed by Anil Kapoor, who employs an invisibility gadget invented by his deceased scientist father to aid children and citizens of India in combating Mogambo, played by Amrish Puri.

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2025-05-10 09:52