Robert De Niro Was Approached To Play Amitabh Bachchan’s Role In This Akshay Kumar Film ( Photo Credit – Instagram ; Wikipedia )
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Sach Kalpana Se Bhi Zyada Vichitra Hota Hai, no one can forget this dialogue by Amitabh Bachchan as he narrated the story on screen for the 2002 film Aankhein which created a historic success in terms of reception and Box Office. Helmed by Director Vipul Shah, who made his debut in the film, it was termed as way ahead of its time.
The film recently, completed 21 years of its release and the director talked about how the casting for the film was not at all an issue. You read that right. Bringing together Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Sushmita Sen, Paresh Rawal and Amitabh Bachchan was a cakewalk for Shah.
However, he made a shocking revelation when he told that if all would have gone by the plan, then Hollywood actor Robert De Niro would have been seen reprising Amitabh Bachchan’s role from the film in the English remake.
While talking about how the film received praise and appreciation from the West, the director confessed that a Hollywood production house was interested in buying the film’s remake rights. “The best feedback for the film was that Hollywood was genuinely interested in making this film and some Western filmmakers had also inquired about remake rights. Of course I was not the producer so I don’t know why that didn’t materialise but at that time there was a conversation that Robert De Niro was going to be approached for Mr. Bachchan’s part.”, Shah told Indian Express.
Talking about how he pulled off such an epic cast the director revealed it wasn’t that big a task since that decade was the age of multi-starrers. Talking about getting the cast on board, he revealed in the same interview, “It is today that we don’t have many multi-starrers. In those days actors were happy to do them. I was lucky that Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) or Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Paresh Rawal and Arjun Rampal happily gave me time to narrate the film and accepted it. Of course I did not realise that I was getting such a massive set-up as my first film, which I realised today. At the time I had no idea any dynamics of multi- starrers or whatever, I was just going with a dream and conviction and that is what kept me going.”
For the unversed Amitabh Bachchan led Aankhein was released in 2000 and the film was much talked about because of two endings. The Indian version and the global version. While the international audiences witnessed a cliffhanger in the end, the Indian version was changed after giving thought to give closure.
The film starred Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Arjun Rampal as three blind men who are taught to rob a bank by a blind school teacher Sushmita Sen while Big B plans the whole robbery from the back end. A sequel to the film was announced a few years back but it never took off.
