Did you know 13 actors rejected Amitabh Bachchan starrer Sooryavansham?

Amitabh Bachchan starrer Sooryavansham (1999) became a cult classic film despite being a box office bomb. Helmed by  E. V. V. Satyanarayana, the film received negative reviews from the critics. However, after its world television premiere, the film became a hit among the audience, becoming one of the most-watched movies of all time. However, not many know that Big B was not the first choice of the director.

13 actors rejected Sooryavansham

Amitabh Bachchan played the role of Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh in the film. But before Big B, the role was offered to stars such as Mithun Chakraborty, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Salman Khan, Govinda, Ajay Devgan, Aamir Khan, Suniel Shetty, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. The reason all 13 actors turned down the role was that they were required to play an elderly man.

Consequently, director EVV Satyanarayana approached Amitabh Bachchan for the role who not only accepted to play the role of an elderly man but also agreed to essay the younger version Heera Thakur. In the film, Big B plays the role of a 57-year-old father and his 20-year-old son.

More about Sooryavansham

The film was a remake of the Tamil film Suryavansham released in 1997. Apart from Big B, the movie also starred Jayasudha, Soundarya, Rachana Banerjee, Anupam Kher, Kader Khan and Bindu, among others in pivotal roles. For the unversed, Rekha lent her voice to two characters in Sooryavansham. The veteran star dubbed for Jayasudha and Soundarya's characters.

What's next for Amitabh Bachchan?

The veteran actor is currently busy with the filming of his upcoming film Kalki 2898 AD. He also has The Umesh Chronicles, Butterfly and Thalaivar 170 in the lineup.