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Before Sooryavansham became a cult classic, Amitabh Bachchan was on the brink of financial ruin and...
Read More By the end of the 1990s, Amitabh Bachchan’s career was hanging by a thread. The man once hailed as the “Shahenshah" of Bollywood was facing the lowest phase of his life, both professionally and financially. His ambitious business venture, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd.
(ABCL), had crumbled. In 1999, the company officially declared bankruptcy, leaving Bachchan with mounting debts and a fading presence in the film industry. From 1994 to 1999, he appeared in just four films — Mrityudata, Major Saab, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Lal Baadshah.
None of them managed to restore his standing at the box office. For many fans and even people in the industry, it felt like Bachchan had quietly stepped away, possibly for good. Rajesh Khattar, who acted alongside Bachchan in Sooryavansham, was one of those who believed the legend had retired.
In an interview with Friday Talkies, Khattar recalled how the opportunity to work with Bachchan came unexpectedly — and how he didn’t think twice before saying yes. “When the makers approached me for the role of both his brother and his son, they asked me to watch the original Tamil version," Khattar said. “But I refused.
I didn’t want anything clouding my decision. I didn’t want to miss the chance to work with Bachchan sahab." At the time, there was still uncertainty about Bachchan’s return.
Khattar sensed that Sooryavansham could be a one-off — a brief return before another possible exit. “Unhone tyag diya tha industry ko — he had given up," Khattar said. “It felt like this might be his last film.
And I thought to myself, what if he quits acting again? I couldn’t risk missing that opportunity." Their first day on set didn’t include any formal introductions. Khattar was thrown straight into a scene where he had to shout at Bachchan’s character.
For any actor, that’s a high-pressure moment. “I was nervous," he admitted. “But Bachchan sahab was calm and focused.
We wrapped the scene in just two takes." Later, when they had a moment to talk, Bachchan remembered meeting Khattar previously, which helped ease the tension. One particular scene has stayed with Khattar to this day.
They were shooting part of a song that appears early in the film. In the scene, Bachchan’s character had to walk past the rest of the cast and deliver a single glance — one that carried authority, dignity, and generational command. “He took a few minutes to prepare," Khattar recalled.
“And then, when the camera rolled, he gave us this look — the kind only the true patriarch of a family could deliver. Even now, when I talk about it, I get goosebumps. That’s his power as an actor.
" Sooryavansham was a remake of the Tamil film Surya Vamsam, and despite Bachchan playing a dual role — both father and son — the film didn’t do well at the box office when it first released. Critics were lukewarm, and audiences at the time weren’t particularly drawn to it. But time had other plans.
Thanks to relentless re-runs on television, especially on Set Max, the film found a new kind of legacy. It became a staple in Indian households, with entire generations growing up watching it on repeat. Today, Sooryavansham is not just another title in Bachchan’s filmography — it’s a cultural fixture, and one of the most instantly recognizable movies of his career.
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