A popular piece of Bollywood trivia, which Aamir Khan has revisited over the years, reveals that ‘Teesri Manzil’ almost had a completely different leading man. What eventually became one of Shammi Kapoor’s most iconic films, was initially planned with Dev Anand in the lead. However, an unexpected clash between director Nasir Hussain led to dramatic repercussions that completely changed the film’s cast and direction.When ‘Teesri Manzil’ had a different heroIn a conversation with Mashable India, Aamir Khan once mentioned that ‘Teesri Manzil’ was initially developed with Dev Anand in the lead, and Nasir Hussain was helming the project. At the same time, Nasir was also producing the film ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’, which was directed by his brother Vijay Anand and featured a young man.
Rajesh Khanna
Along with Asha Parekh. The two films were progressing simultaneously, but an unexpected incident quickly changed their course.
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Zeenat Aman recalls how Dev Anand did not like having choreographers and hairstylists in his group; “He wanted a casual look with just a parting,” he says.
Narrating what he heard from his uncle, Amer said that the problem began at the actor’s engagement party, Sadhana. “Nasir was very close to Vijay Anand and Nasir was also a friend of Dev Anand,” he said, before revealing what went wrong that evening.At the gathering, Dev allegedly compared the two films, referring to ‘Teesri Manzil’ as a ‘big film’ while calling ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’ a ‘small film’. Nasser did not like this, leading to an argument that quickly escalated.
Describing the moment, Amer said: “Nasser Saab said there is no such thing as a big or small movie. They started quarreling and were hitting each other.” He added that he later verified the story with the sadhana herself, who confirmed the chaos by saying: “Haan haan, dono daru peeke jhagda kar rahe the.” (Yes, yes, they were both drunk and fighting). Although the incident was sudden, it became a turning point for both films.With Dev Anand’s exit comes Shammi Kapoor’s entryAfter the repercussions, Nasir Hussain took a firm decision.
“Dev will not be a part of ‘Teesri Manzil’. He has walked out,” Aamir recalls. The film was then handed over to Vijay Anand as director, while Shammi Kapoor took over the lead role. Meanwhile, Nasir has shifted his focus to ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’. The reshuffle proved to be a masterstroke, with ‘Teesri Manzil’ becoming a huge hit.Nasir Hussain and Dev Anand’s collaboration came to a sudden haltInterestingly, Nasir Hussain and Dev Anand have previously worked together in films like ‘Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai’, ‘Paying Guest’ and ‘Munimji’. This makes the repercussions all the more important, because they led to a sudden halt in a successful creative engagement. Looking back, this episode remains one of Bollywood’s finest ‘what if’ moments, where one night changed the fate of a classic film.