It was in the year 2003, on the same day, that Bollywood witnessed one of its brightest stars finally arrive. It was the day when Indian Cinema celebrated Irrfan in his full glory, and one might thank Akshay Kumar for making this happen, the very moment he rejected Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool!
The adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tragedy film starred the Paan Singh Tomar actor along with Tabu in the lead along with Pankaj Kapur. The Dark Love Story was his debut film as a lead, but he was not the first choice for the role!
Akshay Kumar’s Miyan Maqbool
Maqbool was earlier titled Miyan Maqbool, and Vishal Bhardwaj approached Akshay Kumar to play the lead. However, the Sky Force actor rejected the film, citing a weak climax since he felt that the hero came out as a loser in the climax!
After Akshay Kumar passed the role, some other actors were also approached, but Vishal Bhardwaj finally decided to place his bets on the late Irrfan after watching him rule the screen like a king in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Haasil!
None expected that those brooding eyes would make their magic work like a charm for the film, and it would be one of the best starts for an actor. Interestingly, before Maqbool, there was no turning back for the seasoned actor and he over the time, he indeed turned into one of the brightest stars of the Indian Cinema.
One Wise Decision That Gave Us Irrfan!
After Irrfan was finalized for Maqbool, Manoj Bajpayee learned about the film and insisted Vishal Bharadwaj take him as the leading man. But Vishal clearly refused since he had already promised Irrfan, his debut film as the lead actor. The rest, as they say, is history.
Maqbool was released in the theaters on January 30, 2003. It was mounted on a budget of 3.25 crore, and it earned 2 crore at the box office. Apart from Irrfan, Tabu, and Pankaj Kapur, the film also starred Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in pivotal roles.
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