It’s been 35 years since Agneepath was released on February 16, and the film stands tall as a cult classic. Although it wasn’t a box office success initially, the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer went on to become one of his most beloved films. Here are some lesser-known behind-the-scenes stories:
Amitabh had to re-dub the entire film
Perhaps the most imitated dialogue of Amitabh Bachchan remains the iconic ‘Vijay Deenanath Chauhan’ line from Agneepath. However, his original baritone used in the film was not well received by the audience. Amitabh recalled on game-show Kaun Banega Crorepati, “There was a man who used to visit Kalyanji-Anandji’s (music composer duo) home with a similar heavy tone, so I thought, why not model Vijay’s voice after him? Later, I found out that man came from an underground background, which fit the essence of Vijay’s character perfectly. So, the character’s first shot was inspired by him. When the movie released, the producer called to say theatres were having issues. Audiences were tearing up seats and telling the sound department, ‘This doesn’t sound like Amitabh; fix the sound system!’ So, to address it, I had to re-dub the whole film in my normal voice. But that initial voice was very impactful.”
Amitabh’s help to Yash Johar
Producer Nikkhil Advani recalled in an interview with Lehren Retro that filmmaker-producer Karan Johar, son of Agneepath’s producer Yash Johar, shared how Amitabh came on board without hesitation. The story goes that Hiroo, Karan’s mother, had suffered a heart attack amid the family’s financial strain. Amitabh, upon hearing the news, rushed to the hospital where she was admitted and offered his dates to Yash for starting a film inspired by Scarface, which ultimately turned out to be Agneepath.
Jumma Chumma in Agneepath?
Who could forget the iconic Amitabh song Jumma Chumma? But did you know that the song, featured in the film Hum, was originally intended for Agneepath? Actor Archana Puran Singh revealed in an interview with Doordarshan that Amitabh felt since he was playing the role of a don in Agneepath, it wouldn’t suit his character. As a result, another song was used instead. Interestingly, Archana was the original choice for the song, before actor Kimi Katkar was cast.
Mithun Chakraborty as Krishnan Iyer
One of actor Mithun Chakraborty’s most memorable roles remains as Krishnan Iyer in Agneepath. In reality, the character was inspired by one of Mithun’s roommates, a struggling actor named Devio, according to IMDb. Devio paid ₹150 for the bed, while Mithun paid ₹75 as rent and slept on the floor. On one occasion, Mithun used the bed while Devio was at work, and when Devio returned, he scolded Mithun for doing so. This incident served as the inspiration for Krishnan’s character in the film.
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