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It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Rajesh Khanna immortalized the character of Anand in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1971 film. By the time the film hit theatres, Rajesh Khanna was already a superstar, but the role of Anand remains one of his most memorable performances. It might come as a surprise, but Rajesh Khanna wasn’t originally considered for the role of Anand.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee initially wanted to cast Bollywood’s “He-Man” Dharmendra in the role and even narrated the script to him. The filmmaker narrated the story to Dharmendra, who was interested in taking on the character. However, Hrishikesh later decided to cast Rajesh Khanna instead, leaving Dharmendra feeling both angry and betrayed.
During an earlier appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show, while promoting his grandson’s film, Dharmendra recalled the incident of being replaced in Anand without any prior notice. He shared, “Hrishida had told me a story on a flight, Anand. While coming from Bangalore, he said to me that ‘we were going to do this’ and ‘we were going to do that’. And later, I found out that the movie had started rolling with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role.”
Furious with Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s decision, Dharmendra decided to confront him while under the influence of alcohol, persistently calling the director throughout the night. “I didn’t let Hrishida sleep the whole night. I told him, ‘You were going to give me the role, you told me the story, then why did you give him the film?’ He kept telling me, ‘Dharam, go to sleep, we will talk in the morning.’ He would cut the line and I would call him back asking, ‘Why did you give him the role?’” he said.
Despite the bitter experience with Anand, Dharmendra and Hrishikesh Mukherjee managed to move past it. They went on to collaborate again in films like Chupke Chupke and Guddi, after the release of Anand.
Anand, which also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo, and Seema Deo in pivotal roles, had a modest run at the box office upon its release. However, over time, the film gained a cult following and is now hailed as one of the greatest Hindi films ever made.
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