Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic dialogue from the film ‘Agneepath’ (1990), “Vijay Dinanath Chauhan… full name,” has become synonymous with his strong voice and signature style. However, what many people may not know is that Amitabh’s decision to change his voice for the film was not well-received by the audience. In fact, the public’s reaction was so negative that Amitabh had to re-dub the entire film in a normal voice after its release.
According to Amitabh, the idea to change his voice came from the film’s director, Mukul Anand, who suggested that he speak in a very different, heavy voice for the character of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. Amitabh was inspired by a man who used to visit the film’s composer, Kalyan ji-Anand ji, and had a very heavy voice. He decided to incorporate this style into his performance, but unfortunately, it did not resonate with the audience.
The film ‘Agneepath’ is also notable for its interesting backstory. For example, the song “Jumma Chumma” was originally written for ‘Agneepath’ but was later used in the film ‘Hum’ (1991) instead. The director, Mukul Anand, realized that the song did not fit with the character of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan and decided to use the song “Ali Baba” in the film instead.
Another interesting fact about ‘Agneepath’ is that the role of the villain, Kancha China, was played by Danny Denjongpa. The film marked the first time that Amitabh Bachchan and Danny Denjongpa worked together on screen, and their on-screen collision is still remembered by audiences today.
Despite its initial flop at the box office, ‘Agneepath’ has become a cult classic over time. The film’s producer, Yash Johar, had invested heavily in the project, and its failure caused significant financial losses. However, his son Karan Johar later remade the film in 2012, starring Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt, which proved to be a commercial success.
The film’s writer, Kader Khan, had originally written the memorable scene of Master Dinanath Chauhan’s death for another film called ‘Jahil’. However, the scene was later used in ‘Agneepath’ after the director, Mukul Anand, approached Kader Khan for permission.
At the time of ‘Agneepath”s release, Amitabh Bachchan’s films were not performing well at the box office. The film’s flop was a significant setback for the actor, but over time, it has gained a loyal fan following and is now considered a classic of Indian cinema. Despite its initial failure, ‘Agneepath’ has left a lasting impact on the film industry and continues to be celebrated by audiences today.