Flashback: When Mumtaz agreed to star with Amitabh Bachchan

When he left his job in a private company in Calcutta to go to Mumbai to become a film actor Amitabh Bachchan took his driver’s licence along in case he needed to forget his celluloid dreams and come down to earth to make a living driving a taxi. Today 53 years after he made his acting debut in K.A. Abbas’ Saat Hindustani, Mr Bachchan is regarded as the single-most influential star-actor of the Indian cinema. Before Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer released in 1973, Amitabh Bachchan was going through a long period of struggle trying to find a foothold in the film industry.No major leading lady was willing to work with him. Before Mehra and Zanjeer happened, the very successful OP Ralhan (of Phool Aur Patthar and Talash) wanted to make a big-budgeted extravaganza named Bandhe Haath with Amitabh Bachchan, in a double role. Ralhan also needed an A-lister heroine opposite Mr Bachchan. A tall order, considering the actor was some way off from achieving star status. Ralhan asked several top names. He then approached Mumtaz who was the topmost heroine of those times. Without any hesitation, she said yes. “I was always known to support new talent. I could see there was a fire within Amitabh even back then before he became a star. I said yes to Bandhe Haath readily. I enjoyed the experience. I wish the film had worked. I think Zanjeer which turned his career around was released a few months after Bandhe Haath,” says Mumtaz. Bandhe Haath released in February 1973. It bombed. Zanjeer which immediately catapulted Mr Bachchan to dizzying heights was released in May 1973. Interestingly all the songs in Bandhe Haath barring one were filmed on Mumtaz. Her dance numbers in the film like Tu ne cheen liya, Yeh kaun aaj aaya, O Majhi re and Challa mere chaila ne cheena are hummed to this day. Mumtaz had a ball shooting these great R D Burman compositions. O P Ralhan had hoped that the glamour quotient provided by Mumtaz would ensure box office success. When Bandhe Haath bombed Mr Bachchan was deeply affected. It had all the ingredients needed for box office success, including a very successful heroine. “After Bandhe Haath, I only had Zanjeer a few months later. I wonder what I’d have done if that hadn’t worked, probably quit. Unlike Bandhe Haath, Zanjeer had none of the box office winning points, like catchy songs and dances. I had no songs. I think Jaya had a couple of songs. But Zanjeer clicked. I was saved in time,” Mr Bachchan once shared. Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.