Stories
Dharmendra Drank All Night, Harassed Hrishikesh Mukherjee Over Lost 'Anand' Role
- •On Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 104th birth anniversary, a memorable story resurfaces about Dharmendra's reaction to losing the lead role in 'Anand' to Rajesh Khanna.
- •Dharmendra recalled Hrishikesh Mukherjee narrating the story of 'Anand' to him on a flight, leading him to believe he would star in the film.
- •Upon learning Rajesh Khanna was cast, a drunken Dharmendra repeatedly called Mukherjee through the night, demanding to know why the role was given away.
- •Mukherjee's only response to Dharmendra's late-night calls was, "So jaa, Dharam. So jaa," as the actor questioned, "Mera picture unhone kyon de ditta?"
- •Despite the incident, Dharmendra and Hrishikesh Mukherjee maintained a strong professional relationship, collaborating on several successful films like 'Chupke Chupke' and 'Satyakam'.
Key Questions Answered
Dharmendra drank and repeatedly called Hrishikesh Mukherjee through the night to ask why the role in Anand had been given to Rajesh Khanna after the filmmaker had previously narrated the story to him. Despite his late-night calls and questioning, Mukherjee simply told him to go to sleep.
Before Rajesh Khanna secured the iconic role of Anand Sehgal, Kishore Kumar was considered for the part, and Shashi Kapoor was also evaluated but lacked the necessary dates to commit.
During the filming of Namak Haraam around 1973, an irritated Hrishikesh Mukherjee ordered the watchman to lock the studio gates until filming concluded because Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna were busy talking on the phone. The shoot continued until around 12:30 am with no one allowed to enter or leave.
