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Remember Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit’s 1988 blockbuster Tezaab? The film became a runaway success upon release, outperforming the works of major stars of the era. The handsome hunk won audiences with his powerful performance and striking chemistry with the Dhak Dhak girl. But do you know he was not the original choice to star opposite Madhuri Dixit? Veteran actor Aditya Pancholi, who has been part of the Hindi film industry for over three decades, has recently made the shocking revelation about the politics and favouritism that, he claims, have long shaped Bollywood. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he claimed that he was originally signed as the male lead in the 1988 blockbuster film before being replaced allegedly due to “industry politics and manipulation.” Sharing his side of the story, Aditya Pancholi shared a throwback photo from his early days and reflected on the alleged incident. He wrote on X, “I was the original choice for Tezaab (1988), opposite @MadhuriDixit. Director N. Chandra, still very much around, can confirm this. Unfortunately, an actor, through his elder brother (who remains active in the industry), influenced the director to replace me. The rest, as they say, is history.” Without naming anyone directly, his post seemed to refer to Anil Kapoor and Boney Kapoor, prompting everyone to connect the dots. Further in the post, he went on to comment about the deeper workings of the film industry. The actor said, “Recently, I saw an #Actor speak about nepotism while promoting his new release. Let me say this clearly: politics in the film industry runs deeper than #Nepotism. Favouritism, manipulation, and power games shape careers more than family ties ever could.” Directed, produced, and co-written by N Chandra, Tezaab became one of the biggest hits of 1988 and cemented Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit’s superstardom in Bollywood. Alongside Anil and Madhuri, the action-romance also featured Chunky Pandey, Anupam Kher, Suresh Oberoi, and Johnny Lever. The film’s mix of romance, revenge, and action made it a cult classic of its era, with Anil Kapoor’s portrayal of Munna and the song Ek Do Teen becoming one of his most memorable ones. Aditya Pancholi made his acting debut with Shahadat in 1985. Later, he appeared in Sone Ka Pinjra in 1986, Siyahi, Kalank Ka Teeka, Afsar Ki Saali and Maryam Ki Beti. He entered mainstream Bollywood with Sasti Dulhan Mehenga Dulha and has since then worked in films such as Race 2, Jai Ho, Dishkiyaoon and Hero. His last mainstream theatrical release was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani in 2015. The film featured him alongside Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.
