#CatchFlashBack: When Salim-Javed chose Amitabh Bachchan over Rajesh Khanna for Deewar

Intensity and drama, love and intrigue, loss and death... The 1975 blockbuster, Deewar, had all this and more. Of course, it also had the iconic dialogue 'Mere Pass Maa Hain', delivered with much dignity and gravitas by Shahshi Kapoor, while a laconic Amitabh Bachchan looked on.

The film had a run of over 100 weeks in theatres. It also set the precedent of a strong female character. In this case, Nirupa Roy, as the long-suffering yet morally strong mother. When Salim-Javed narrated the script of Deewar to Gulshan Rai (the producer) and Yash Chopra, the two felt that Rajesh Khanna was the right choice to essay the character of Vijay in the film. However the writer duo persisted and managed to convince them that Amitabh Bachchan was the better choice. And that's when the Big B bagged the role.

The writer duo did not just convince Chopra to cast Bachchan, they also explained why Rajesh Khanna was not suitable for any role in the film. They endorsed Amitabh Bachchan so vehemently that Yash Chopra asked them in a jocular manner, "Does Amitabh Bachchan pay you commission to recommend him?"

Also read: #CatchFlashback: How Salim-Javed found Bollywood its 'Angry young man', Amitabh Bachchan

The script and screenplay of Deewar was so well written that in one of his interviews, Yash Chopra had said:

"As far as the script is concerned, Deewar is better than Sholay...That was one script and screenplay where you didn't have to delete anything after making. Such a perfect script it was."

Deewar was initially planned as a song-less film. However, the producer felt that the same would make the film very 'dry' and insisted that the director add at least three songs. What happens with major commercial films in India happened with Deewar as well. The film opened with outright negative reviews. However, post its terrific performance, Salim-Javed were officially called the story kings of the Hindi Film Industry.

Also read: #CatchFlashBack: When Manmohan Desai thought Amar Akbar Anthony would flop...

It has been over 40 years since the release of Deewar, but the film still lives on.