Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. (Pic: Anil, Amitabh/Instagram)
Apart from starring in Hindi cinema’s most iconic film Sholay, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra were also close friends off screen and shared similar principles when it came to their work ethics. In a recent interaction, theatre owner and producer Manoj Desai spoke about how both stars refused to buy awards at a time when actors were allegedly offered trophies in exchange for monetary favours. Manoj claimed that in the year Big B refused to buy the Best Actor Filmfare award, Anil Kapoor purchased it.
Speaking to Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Manoj said, “Once me and Amitabh Bachchan were sitting together when the award function was going on. Rauf Ahmed (late film writer) came to me and asked me, ‘If I give the Best Actor award to Amitabh Bachchan, will you bear the whole expense of this party?’”
Sharing how Big B strictly refused the offer, Manoj added, “I went to ask Amitabh Bachchan to ask about the same, and he told me that ‘Amitabh Bachchan doesn’t buy awards’. He also told me, ‘I know whom this award will go, it will go to Anil Kapoor and he has already organised a big party on the terrace of his house’. And Anil Kapoor did get the award of Best Actor that year, I think he got the award for Mr India. Anil Kapoor had agreed to pay for the Filmfare party and that’s why he got the award.”
However, contrary to Manoj’s claim, Anil Kapoor did not win the Best Actor Filmfare award for Mr India (1987). He received his first Best Actor award in 1989 for Tezaab, the same year Amitabh Bachchan was nominated in the same category for his film Shahenshah.
Manoj further said that, like Amitabh, Dharmendra also followed the same principle of not buying awards. “Dharmendra also 100% refused such offer. He said he won’t buy any award. He even talked about this when he got the Lifetime Achievement award, he said in the speech that he deserved awards for many of his previous films but those awards were not given to him.” Dharmendra passed away at 89 on November 24.