Did you know Farah and Sanjay Dutt were supposed to be in Khuda Gawah with Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi?!

Did you know Farah (Naaz) and Sanjay Dutt were supposed to be in Khuda Gawah with Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi?! 

We've posted before about the Sanjay Dutt drama - when circumstances led to his replacement with Nagarjuna - but this newfound scan from the early 90s plays out the drama behind the scenes between Farah and the film's director Mukul Anand. 

Farah and Sridevi had a few things in common, they were mononymously famous, hit Bollywood in the 1980s, and had one major thing in common, they were presented beautifully - and dare I say the best - in Yash Chopra movies. Farha's debut in Faasle - white salwaars and Switzerland included - and Sridevi in Chandni, the look is... so similar. Why Farah's name in Faasle was Chandni too [Rekha's name in Silsila was Chandni as well!].  

This report (L) on the behind the scenes machinations of the epic Khuda Gawah... well, I don't know what is true or not - film tabloids in the early years were/are notoriously unreliable. But an interesting page from the archives of Bollywood cinematic history. 

The original poster of Khuda Gawah

Excerpt from Cine Blitz:

"... Mukul was paying more than enough attention to his other heroine of Khuda Gawah Sridevi, giving Farha the cold shoulder. But Farha has never been one to take things lying down... The problem between them started from the time the mahurat cards of Khuda Gawah were printed. 

"I was given the lower billing. My name was the last among the stars, as if I do not have any standing of my own in the industry," she explained furiously. Hurt to the core, she continued, "That's the reason I did not attend the muhurat [launch] though I was very much in town. I have never felt more hamulated in my entire life." 

"Manoj is a friend and that's why I was doing the film. I know that if Mukul must have convinced him to put my name last," she remarked knowingly. 

Though Farha could not pinpoint the exact reason for the misdemeanor on Mukul's part, she guessed it must be her refusal to play up to him. "Just because he's directing Amitabh in three films, everybody goes Mukulji Mukulji and will nod their heads in agreement to everything he says. They are all hypocrites, but I am muphat [outspoken] and can't become a dummy to please him." She was indignant.

Farha refused to acquiesce to the fact that losing out on a Bachchan starrer would be detrimental to her career. "I don't need an Amitabh starrer to make it big. After all, I can only play his daughter. In Khuda Gawah I am one." 

She further argued justifying her move. "There is no guarantee that the Amitabh film will do well.,. It's destiny and I have over fifty films now, which shows that people do want me." So she prefers to resign herself  to her fate and work with B.R.Ishaara and S.R.Pratap rather than accept Mukul's offer...."

-- April 1989, MOVIE magazine. 

Mukul Anand on the making of Khuda Gawah, MOVIE magazine excerpt: 

Mukul Anand: "During the making of Khuda Gawah, the role we offered Sunju was the best that could be offered to him at that stage of his career. At that time he was dying to do the role. Even Nagarjuna was very happy with the role. The role had not been cut further. If we had cut Sunju's role, we would have to cut Sridevi's role as well. Sunju's absence in the film was a loss for us both. However, Sunju and I don't talk about all this now. 

MOVIE: Ajay Devgan insists that he was the first choice to replace Sunjay in Khuda Gawah until certain strings were pulled in favour of Nagarjuna. Is it true? 

Mukul Anand: Ajay Devgan was considered as a replacement for Sunjay. A lot of actors like Rahul Roy and Akshay Kumar were also looked into. But since the role needed somebody with a set image, Nagarjuna was taken. He was in his own right a star and very keen to work with me.