Amitabh Bachchan’s Desh Premee Completes 44 Years, Double Role Still Loved by Fans; Read On

Amitabh Bachchan's action-drama Desh Premee completes 44 years today, having released on April 23, 1982. Directed by Manmohan Desai, the patriotic multi-starrer featured the iconic superstar in a memorable double role that fans still celebrate today.

Amitabh Bachchan's film 'Desh Premee' became very popular for its patriotic theme and hit songs. This was the fifth film collaboration between Manmohan Desai and Amitabh Bachchan. However, the movie couldn't quite match the success of their previous blockbusters.

In this Manmohan Desai film, Amitabh Bachchan played a double role. He portrayed both the father, Master Dinanath, and the son, Raju. The original source claims Parveen Babi played the roles of Big B's sister and daughter in the film. 

The film 'Desh Premee' was one of the last films for the great singer Mohammed Rafi and actor Uttam Kumar, as both passed away before its release. Uttam Kumar actually died during the shooting, and his remaining scenes were shot with Amitabh Bachchan's hairdresser. Mohammed Rafi passed away before the movie hit the theatres. His song 'Mere Desh Premiyon' became a massive hit.

The film 'Desh Premee' had a huge star cast. It featured Amitabh Bachchan along with Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Navin Nischol, Parveen Babi, Uttam Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Premnath, Parikshit Sahni, Amjad Khan, Gita Siddharth, Kader Khan, Jeevan, Yusuf Khan, Prem Chopra, and Jagdish Raj in lead roles.

Director Manmohan Desai made 'Desh Premee' on a budget of ₹3 crore. The film went on to do a business of ₹7.2 crore at the box office. The story was written by Kader Khan, K.B. Pathak, and Prayag Raj. Laxmikant-Pyarelal gave the music for the film, which had a runtime of 165 minutes.

It is said that Raaj Kumar was offered the role of Amitabh Bachchan's co-star in this film. Raaj Kumar put forward a condition that he would only work in the film if he was paid one rupee more than Amitabh. Manmohan Desai understood that he didn't want to do the film. After this, Parikshit Sahni played that character.