‘Deewaar’ at 50: The stories behind the wall

There are films, and then there is Deewaar — the blueprint of Bollywood’s brooding antihero. Half a century later, Yash Chopra’s 1975 classic is a cultural touchstone that refuses to fade — a wall that divided Bollywood into before and after. But beyond its legendary lines and Big B’s smoldering intensity, Deewaar harbours a trove of little-known creative detours, and behind-the-scenes stories that shaped its legacy.

The role that almost wasn’t

A still from ‘Deewar’

It is now the stuff of industry folklore that Deewaar’s Vijay Verma, the embittered smuggler with a bruised heart and a tattooed shame, was first offered to a different actor. Not Rajesh Khanna, as one might assume, (though he was considered) but Shatrughan Sinha. Then a rising star with a flair for dialogue-baazi, Sinha turned the role down, before it fell to Bachchan, whose career was on the verge of slipping into obscurity after a string of flops. Deewaar saved his career and created the ‘Angry Young Man’ figure that would dominate Bollywood for years.

The many Vijays of Amitabh

A still from ‘Deewar’

If there was ever a name synonymous with Big B, it wasn’t just his Angry Young Man moniker — it was Vijay. Deewaar marked one of the earliest instances of Bachchan playing a character named Vijay, a name he would go on to embody in over 20 films, including Zanjeer (1973), Trishul (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), and Agneepath (1990). The name became an identity, a symbol of the brooding, rebellious outsider who challenged fate and fought against an unjust world. Whether by superstition or sheer creative instinct, Bollywood’s screenwriters seemed to believe that if Bachchan was Vijay, the film was destined for greatness.

Roping in an error

A still from ‘Deewar’

Vijay’s rugged look — denim shirt knotted at the waist, khaki pants, and a thick rope slung over his shoulder — wasn’t the product of clever costume design; rather, the shirt, it turns out, was too long. A quick fix? Tie it up. The rope was simply lying around on set and was added on a whim and became an accessory so symbolic it felt deliberate. The result? A fashion statement that every street-smart tough guy of the ’70s wanted to replicate.

The unscripted ink

A still from ‘Deewar’

The infamous words inked on Vijay’s forearm — ‘Mera Baap Chor Hai’ (My father is a thief) — were not originally part of the screenplay. The idea came during a brainstorming session, inspired by a real-life incident where a labor leader’s child was taunted with similar words. It became the film’s visual shorthand for injustice, a mark of both fate and fury that haunted Vijay for the rest of his life.

The forgotten martial arts connection

A still from ‘Deewar’

Long before Bollywood discovered wire-fu and stylised action, Deewaar flirted with Hong Kong cinema. The fight sequences, particularly the dockyard brawl, were inspired by the gritty hand-to-hand combat of Bruce Lee films, blending kung fu with a desi pehelwani aesthetic. In many ways, Deewaar pioneered the raw, street-fighting action that would become a Bollywood staple.

The 786 Badge

A still from ‘Deewar’

Vijay’s badge numbered 786, gifted by Rahim Chacha, served as a lucky talisman. In Islamic numerology, 786 symbolizes Bismillah, invoking divine protection. And indeed, as long as Vijay had it, he remained unscathed. But the moment he lost it? His downfall began. Call it fate, call it foreshadowing.

The many lives of Deewaar

Rajinikanth in a still from ‘Thee’

A film as powerful as Deewaar was bound to echo beyond Bollywood. Rajinikanth swaggered into Amitabh Bachchan’s brooding footsteps in Thee (1981), molding Deewaar’s angst-ridden antihero into a Tamilian force of nature. Meanwhile, Telugu’s Magaadu (1976) and Malayalam’s Naduvazhikal (1989) recast the film’s tensions through their own cultural lenses. It was proof that Deewaar wasn’t merely a Hindi film but a story that spoke to India at large.

The film that influenced the world

A still from Joh Woo’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’

Danny Boyle called Deewaar “absolutely key to Indian cinema,” and its fingerprints are visible across global pop culture. The film inspired Hong Kong’s The Brothers, which in turn influenced John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow, the progenitor of the heroic bloodshed genre. Even Slumdog Millionaire borrows its fraternal conflict from Deewaar, with Anil Kapoor once remarking that the Oscar-winning film was essentially Deewaar set in 21st-century Mumbai.