In the 90s the war with the Mujahideen was going on in Afghanistan. In such a situation, the daughter of the then Afghan President Najibullah requested her father to tell the Mujahideen that she wanted the fighting to stop for a day. When such a big star of the Hindi movie industry has come from India to Afghanistan, if the fighting is stopped, then the star will be able to roam in Kabul, and people will also be able to see him. The name of this star was Amitabh Bachchan, and he had come to Afghanistan for the shooting of the movie Khuda Gawah.
Khuda Gawah (1992): Love, War, and Bollywood in Afghanistan
Khuda Gawah is a 1992 Hindi-language epic drama movie written and directed by Mukul S. Anand. The movie stars Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles. This is their third movie together. Akki Naini Nagarjuna, Shilpa Shirodkar, Kiran Kumar, and Danny Denzongpa were in supporting roles. In the movie, Badshah Khan of Afghanistan travels to India to find the killer of Benazir’s father. He tries to impress Benazir. He succeeds but soon finds himself convicted of a murder and trapped in an Indian prison. The music of the movie is done by Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s superhit duo, and the lyrics are penned down by Anand Bakshi.
Amitabh Bachchan in Afghanistan During the Mujahideen War:
For the security of the crew of the movie, a convoy of five tanks used to move ahead, and a convoy of five tanks followed, but the popularity of Amitabh Bachchan in Afghanistan was such that the need for security arrangements was not felt. A country struggling with a civil war, where the power was divided between Mujahideen and rebels. Everyone united for an Indian star. Even in Afghanistan, there was no dearth of Big B’s fans, from the common people to the President of Afghanistan. Till now he was a fan of Amitabh; this was the reason why Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi’s movie. Khuda Gawah had returned safely after shooting the movie in Afghanistan, even in the environment of war.
Sridevi’s Unique Demand and Amitabh’s Sweet Gesture for Khuda Gawah:
Whenever Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shown his acting on screen, fans have showered him with a lot of love. Amitabh Bachchan also received similar love for his movie Khuda Gawah. The pairing of Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi was very much liked in Khuda Gawah, but as per the reports, Sridevi was not ready to work with Amitabh Bachchan in this movie. Whereas Amitabh Bachchan wanted only Sridevi to work with him in Khuda Gawah. In such a situation, Amitabh Bachchan used a special trick to convince the actress. To convince Sridevi, Amitabh Bachchan had sent a truckload of roses. Seeing Amitabh Bachchan’s sweet gesture, Sridevi agreed to do the movie, but she had a condition. Sridevi placed a condition that she would play the double role of mother and daughter in the movie. Everyone agreed to this condition of Sridevi, and then the movie was made, and the audience loved it.
Khuda Gawah’s Filmfare Success:
Khuda Gawah received nine nominations at that year’s Filmfare Awards, which included Best Movie, Best Actor Amitabh Bachchan, Best Actress Sridevi, and Best Supporting Actress Shilpa Shirodkar. The movie won four awards, including Best Director for Mukul Anand, Best Supporting Actor for Danny Denzongpa, and Best Actor for Big B.
Dimple Kapadia’s Rejection and Sridevi’s Entry:
Dimple Kapadia was the first choice for the lead role, as she had to play the character of an old man; hence, she demanded more money. Producer Manoj Desai did not like this and decided to cast Sridevi instead.
The makers initially titled the movie “Kaidi No. 76”, then changed it to “Badshah Khan”, and finally settled on “Khuda Gawah”. Danny Denzongpa had already shot “Dharmatma” in Afghanistan before “Khuda Gawah”. The movie became one of the most-watched Indian films in Afghanistan’s history. According to media reports, over 1 million people turned out to see Amitabh Bachchan when he arrived in Afghanistan, cementing his unparalleled stardom.
The way his movie has received popularity globally is truly iconic.
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