On Amrish Puri's 87th birth anniversary, Anupam Kher reveals he was first choice to play Mogambo in Mr. India

Bollywood veteran Anupam Kher recently revealed that he, and not Amrish Puri, was the first choice for Shekhar Kapur’s 1987 classic Mr. India. Reminiscing about Puri on the late actor's 87th birth anniversary, Kher stated the unknown fact. The actor added that Puri was a 'remarkable' actor and his close friend and that it was disheartening to talk about his fellow colleagues who have passed away.

Anupam Kher (left) and Amrish Puri as Mogambo in Mr. India. Image from Twitter

“In Mr. India, Mogambo’s role was offered to me before him but after one or two months, makers of that film replaced me with Amrish Puriji,” Anupam told Indo Asian News Service, while promoting his upcoming film One Day: Justice Delivered on Saturday.

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Kher added that generally when actors are dropped for another artiste, they tend to feel bad. However, after watching Mr. India on the silver screen, Anupam confessed that he agreed with the makers' decision to go with Puri's casting.

Google also paid tribute to the late veteran on his birthday. He was also known for portraying unforgettable roles Chaudhry Baldev Singh in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Mola Ram in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.