- Anil Kapoor, Meri Jung, India, 1985. When Amitabh Bachchan split to try poiItics, director Subhash Ghai surprised everyone by not making his Hero star his new… hero! Ghai also avoided Bachchan’s usual rival, Shatrughan Sinha, and promoted the latest Kapoor in town from villain to hero… and, indeed, superstar. With 114 more gigs to follow.
- Kanwaljit Singh, Shart, India, 1985. Now this iis something new… Shroff never made the movie because his astrologer father could never decide which would be the correct – lucky ! – day to sign his contract. Director Ketan Anand decided for him. Never! That’s how Singh (billled as plain Kanwaljit) became the cop hunting a serial killer of women… ” of lose character or prostitutes.”
- Amitabh Bachchan, Shahenshah, India, 1988. Jackie was set for the Bollywood Batman – cop by day and (absurdly suited) crimefighter by night… with a metal arm weighing some 14 kilos. Then, Bachchan decided to return to films after a vainglorious moment as a Congress Party MP as a favor to his family friend, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. (His mother, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister in her day, wrote the letter of introduction that opened the Bollywood portals for The Big A.
- Nana Patekar, Kohram, India, 1999. Loudly suggesting Jackie for the lead brought Patekar running back to the table. Works every time! In any country! Jackie as rewarded with a cameo.
- Sanjay Dutt, Munnabhai MBBS, India, 2003. The lead role – a gangster persuading his folks that’s really a doctor – went from Shahrukh Khan and Vivek Oberoi, and finally to Shergill – who was then swapped with Dutt’s original role of Zaheer.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5