It’s been 20 years since Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein was released. Hailed as the producer’s masterpiece of the new millennium in 2000, it gave the Hindi film industry another “true love always triumphs” story. And unsurprisingly, the audience loved the eternal spirit of love, along with boundless hope. But Mohabbatein not only brought hope on screen, it was off screen too, especially for Amitabh Bachchan. Did you know that it was Big B who came to Yash Chopra to ask him for a role? With no money or movies after its bankrupt years, Mohabbatein, in a way, marked Amitabh’s second entry into Bollywood.
WHEN AMITABH BACHCHAN ASKED YASH CHOPRA FOR A JOB
It was the year 1995 when Amitabh Bachchan entered business with his production company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. (ABCL). Unfortunately, in the following years, the actor faced huge financial losses and bankruptcy.
Amitabh had spoken about that phase of his life on the India Today Unforgettables stage in 2016. He said: “I had a huge financial failure in the corporation I started. He went bankrupt and bankrupt me. ”In addition, he spoke about what it was like in a time when he had no movies and no money and was being harassed by creditors and many legal cases.
So how did Amitabh handle it? In his words, “You sit and think ‘What can I do?’ and I said, “You’re an actor. Act again, so that’s what I did. I went to Yash ji and told him I didn’t have a job. I need it. “And so it happened to Mohabbatein.
THE SCRIPT WAS MODIFIED FOR AMITABH BACHCHAN
The script for Mohabbatein had been prepared by director Aditya Chopra even before his debut film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, released in 1995. So when Amitabh Bachchan joined Mohabbatein, Aditya made his most prominent role. Big B had even thanked the Chopra family in ‘The Making of Mohabbatein’ published by Yash Raj Films for finding a space where he could act in a role that suited his age.
Amitabh’s character as an autocratic disciplinarian, Narayan Shankar, who runs an educational institution called Gurukul, in Mohabbatein, became an icon. His words that describe the three pillars of the institution, “Parampara, Pratishtha aur Anushasan (tradition, honor and discipline)” still ring in the ears of those who have seen the film. Even Amitabh quoted this dialogue on Twitter today, celebrating 20 years since the film’s release.
SHAH RUKH KHAN IMMEDIATELY SAID YES TO THE MOVIE
Shah Rukh Khan had various reasons for making the film. He idolized Amitabh Bachchan and making a movie with him was a dream come true for SRK. Also, he loved a couple of scenes narrated by Aditya Chopra and immediately agreed to make the film.
Shah Rukh played Raj Aryan Malhotra, a music teacher who encourages Gurukul students to live their lives and follow their hearts. Thus, a confrontation occurs between him and Narayan Shankar of Amitabh. The two men show completely opposite values and principles. While the first represents love, the second represents discipline and fear.
In an old interview, Shah Rukh talked about working with Amitabh Bachchan and said, “For me, just being in the same space where he is going to perform is a wonderful experience.” He called Aditya Chopra a “director of men” and shared what he loved about his role. “The beauty of Raj Aryan Malhotra’s character is that he is a classic lover. He is the ultimate lover. You are loving something that is not tangible and you know there is no turning back. He does not expect children from his wife. You don’t expect physical love. Play the violin, not the electric guitar. He does not cry out his love or profess his love emotionally. He just talks about it and very calmly, ”he said.
THE LARGEST ENSEMBLE CAST OF THE YEAR
The film is fondly remembered and its dialogue and cult songs are revered to this day. It marked the first collaboration between Bollywood’s Badshah Shah Rukh Khan and Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan. The expectation surrounding the film was high before its release due to this and also because the face of the lead actress, played by Aishwarya Rai, was kept secret. Even the movie trailer didn’t reveal that it was her. The multi-star film also featured six newcomers, namely Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Jugal Hansraj, Kim Sharma, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Preeti Jhangiani in lead roles. The ensemble cast also featured Anupam Kher, Archana Puran Singh, and Amrish Puri in supporting roles.
But what if we told you that the original cast of Mahobbatein was going to be different?
ORIGINAL CASTING OF MOHABBATEIN
The Mohabbatein casting was quite a chore. Sridevi had been offered a role alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the film, but she declined. After that, his character was removed from the script. Another character who would have appeared in the film was Mithun Chakraborty, as Shefali Shah’s army husband. The length of the film and the insignificance of the character led to his elimination.
Also, Mohabbatein could have been Priyanka Chopra’s debut as Yash Chopra had first offered her the role of Shamita Shetty. Things didn’t work out as Priyanka was still under contract for the Miss World pageant. He then went to Kajol, who rejected him. In addition to this, Karisma Kapoor was offered the Sanjana by Kim Sharma and Sameera Reddy was offered the role of Kiran Khanna, which was eventually rehearsed by Preeti Jhangiani. Even Aishwarya Rai was not Shah Rukh’s first choice as a love interest; it was Rani Mukerji. Woah!
An extra trivia: Jugal Hansraj not only performed in Mohabbatein, but also composed the melody for Chalte Chalte’s antara song in the film. He revealed it today on his Instagram account.
Mohabbatein repeated the message, “Some love stories live forever.” Well, the memory and magic of the movie lasted for a long time too, 20 years and counting.
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