Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was first choice for this film that saved Amitabh Bachchan's career, it's not Zanjeer, Anand, Sholay, Deewaar

Even though Amitabh Bachchan has delivered numerous blockbusters throughout his career, it's worth noting that Bombay to Goa played a pivotal role in shaping his journey to becoming the 'Shahenshah' of Bollywood. And Bachchan must thank a certain Rajiv Gandhi for the same. Yes, the same Rajiv Gandhi, who became the youngest Prime Minister of India at the age of 40 years in 1984 after the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi, who remains the only woman to become the nation's PM till now. The legendary comedian Mehmood, who produced the road comedy Bombay To Goa, had first offered the film to Rajiv Gandhi, who was then an Indian Airlines pilot. Gandhi refused the film, and suggested his friend Amitabh Bachchan's name. 

If you are wondering about the frienship between Amitabh Bachchan and Rajiv Gandhi, the actor had called the politician his "best friend" in an old interview with journalist and author Vir Sanghvi for Rediff. Four-year-old Amitabh Bachchan had met two-year-old Rajiv Gandhi at his home in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). Recalling that meeting, Big B had said, "There was this fancy-dress party on Bank Road (where the Bachchans’ residence in Allahabad was located). Rajiv Gandhi was two years old and had been dressed up as a freedom fighter. Maa says he messed up his pants. We were all such tiny kids then, absorbed in our little games, that it didn’t seem such a big deal that Pandit Nehru’s grandson was in our midst."

Coming back to the 1972 film Bombay To Goa, the film also starred Aruna Irani, Shatrughan Sinha, and Mehmood himself, and became a surprise hit at the box office, but Amitabh's next few films turned out to be flops. He had almost decided to leave Bombay (now Mumbai) and go back to his hometown, until the screenwriting duo Salim-Javed saw him in Bombay To Goa and offered him Zanjeer that saved his career. The 1973 cop drama was rejected by several superstars including Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Dev Anand. It was only after Salim-Javed saw Amitabh Bachchan chewing gum throughout a fight sequence in Bombay To Goa that they pitched his name to the director Prakash Mehra. 

Recalling how Bombay To Goa helped him bag Zanjeer and save his career, Big B wrote on his blog, "Salim-Javed saw a fight sequence in the film Bombay to Goa where I was chewing gum throughout the fight, as an indicator that I would be the right choice for Zanjeer!!! Goodness me, thank god for chewing gum and thank god that S&J noticed it." Also starring Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Ajit Khan, Iftekhar, and Bindu, Zanjeer became a massive success upon its release. And Amitabh Bachchan never looked back, carrying forward the persona of Angry Young Man throughout the 70s and 80s in blockbusters such as Sholay, Zanjeer, Trishul, Don, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Kaalia, and Coolie, and went on to became one of the biggest superstars in the world.

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