Dharmendra Responds To Javed Akhtar's Claim That He Rejected Zanjeer; 'Dikhaave Ki Duniya Mein...'

Javed Akhtar in his latest interview with a news portal, shared that Amitabh Bachchan wasn't the first choice for Prakash Mehra's 1973 blockbuster film Zanjeer. He revealed that the script was written keeping Dharmendra in mind but he turned down the film.

Now, Dharmendra has responded to the lyricist's comment with a cryptic response. The veteran actor took to his Twitter handle, "Javed, kaise ho... dikhave ki iss duniya mein haqeeqaten dabi rah jaati hain. Jeetey raho... Dilon ko gudgudana khoob aata hai... kaash sar chad ke bolne ka jaadu bhi sekh liya hota (how are you doing Javed. Reality often remains unheard in this world full of show offs. I know how to make people laugh... wish I could learn the art of speaking my mind)."

In another tweet, he mentioned, "Refusing Zanjeer, was an emotional hurdle which i have mentioned in aap ki Adaalat. So please don't misunderstand me. i always love Javed and Amit."

For the unversed, Javed Akhtar in his latest interview with India Today had said that Amitabh Bachchan was the last choice for Zanjeer. He had told the news portal that the actor came onboard after every actor that Mehra approached turned down the film.

"I can also understand why they refused. It was a time when Rajesh Khanna was considered as God, music were a must in films, and Zanjeer offered no romance angle or even comedy. The hero was not even singing here. From the first frame to the last frame, he was supposed to be a very grim, serious, bitter person. This was never seen that time on the screen so obviously it was so different so everybody refused," he had told the portal.

However, Zanjeer turned out to be a turning point in Amitabh Bachchan's career and Bollywood got its 'angry young man'. The Prakash Mehra directorial has Big B essaying the role of a cop who sets out to seek revenge for his parent's death after getting suspended from his duty. The film also featured Jaya Bachchan and Pran in pivotal roles.