Mumbai:
Contrary
to
reports,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
who
played
the
iconic
cop
Vijay
in
Prakash
Mehra's
Zanjeer
in
1973,
won't
be
making
an
appearance
in
the
remake.
When
contacted,
director
Apoorva
Lakhia
said,
"Although
it
would
be
an
honour
for
any
filmmaker
to
have
India's
most
iconic
actor
in
his
film,
Amitji
won't
be
playing
a
role
in
Zanjeer.
That
would
put
an
extra
pressure
on
Ram
Charan
Teja
who
plays
the
angry
cop
that
Amitji
had
played
in
the
original
Zanjeer."
Lakhia
fondly
recalls
an
incident
from
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala,
the
last
film
in
which
he
had
directed
Big
B
and
Sanjay
Dutt.
"In
the
dialogue,
Mr
Dutt
had
to
say
a
Hindi
cussword
c****ya
to
Amitji.
Mr
Dutt
refused,
but
Amitji
insisted.
However,
when
it
was
time
to
say
the
dialogue,
Mr
Dutt
just
couldn't
utter
the
word
in
front
of
Amitji
although
Amitji
kept
encouraging
him.
Finally,
we
had
to
change
the
word."
"That's
the
level
of
Amitji's
commitment
and
professionalism.
I'd
have
given
anything
to
have
him
in
my
Zanjeer.
But
that
was
not
meant
to
be.
The
Bachchans
have
always
supported
me
in
every
endeavour," he
added.
When
Zanjeer
hit
the
screens
in
1973,
it
turned
out
to
be
Amitabh's
first
blockbuster
and
after
that
there
was
no
looking
back
for
him.
Lakhia
said,
"The
original
Zanjeer
was
a
turning-point
in
not
just
Amitji's
life
and
career,
but
several
others.
I'd
have
loved
to
have
him
in
Zanjeer.
And
he'd
have
somehow
accommodated
my
ardent
wish.
However,
it'd
be
unfair
to
put
Amitji
in
an
uncomfortable
situation
by
asking
him
to
do
this
for
me."