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How Jeetendra Saved His 1967 Blockbuster Film Farz From Becoming a Major Flop
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News18•14-10-2026, 16:37
How Jeetendra Saved His 1967 Blockbuster Film Farz From Becoming a Major Flop
- •Released in 1967, the film Farz initially struggled for audiences during its first two weeks and faced the threat of being removed from cinema halls.
- •Before Jeetendra, the lead role was offered to Feroz Khan, Manoj Kumar, and Shashi Kapoor, but all of them turned it down.
- •Jeetendra saved the film by making a guarantee to theater owners, asking them to run it for 15 weeks and promising to personally compensate for losses if audiences failed to show up.
- •The strategy worked wonders as the film eventually drove people crazy, leading makers to increase prints and turning it into a massive blockbuster.
- •Made on a budget of around 20 lakh rupees, Farz went on to earn a staggering 2.5 crore rupees at the box office.
Key Questions Answered
Before Jeetendra starred in the 1967 blockbuster Farz, the lead role was initially offered to Feroz Khan, who left due to night shoot disagreements. The makers subsequently approached Manoj Kumar and Shashi Kapoor, but they also refused the part.
When Farz struggled with empty cinema halls for weeks, theater owners planned to pull it down. Jeetendra intervened by asking them to run it for at least 15 weeks and personally promised to compensate for any ticket losses out of his own pocket.
The initial production budget of Farz was around Rs 8 lakh, which later rose to roughly Rs 20 lakh as extra prints were prepared to meet audience demand. Ultimately, the film earned around Rs 2.5 crore at the box office and became a blockbuster.
