Shahenshah remains one of Amitabh Bachchan’s most legendary films, but its journey to the screen was far from smooth. In a recent conversation with Radio Nasha, director-producer Tinnu Anand revealed that the movie almost never happened due to Amitabh’s serious health struggles following a life-threatening injury on the set of Coolie. The actor was diagnosed with myasthenia gravisrarely autoimmune disorder that weakens muscles, just days before he was supposed to start filming Shahenshah.
Tinnu shared how Amitabh’s withdrawal led to severe financial problems. “Shahenshah was cancelled after thousands and lakhs of rupees had already been spent on the unit, on air tickets, and everything. Then, creditors began knocking at my door, asking their money back. For me, that amount was impossible to repay,” Tinnu explained.
To cope, he began looking for a replacement, considering stars like Jackie Shroff and Jeetendra for the role. “We had to make Shahenshah, and it took us a year. Jackie was the first to agree. He enjoyed the attention he was receiving about possibly replacing Amitabh Bachchan in Shahenshah. He signed three or four more films because of that buzz. Jeetendra, on the other hand, said, ‘I don’t think I can fit into Amitabh’s shoes,’” Tinnu recalled.
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Despite the potential replacements, Tinnu soon realized that no one could truly embody Shahenshah like Amitabh. The project was eventually shelved, causing Tinnu significant financial hardship. “I experienced one year of poverty,” he admitted, taking on ad films to survive.
It was Amitabh’s brother, Ajitabh Bachchan (Bunty), who reassured Tinnu that after Amitabh recovered and completed two unfinished films, he would return to Shahenshah. True to his word, Amitabh came back, and the film became an iconic success.