Ajooba Completes 35 Years: How Amitabh Bachchan’s Mega Superhero Gamble Crashed at the Box Office

Amitabh Bachchan’s superhero film Ajooba completes 35 years today. Released on April 12, 1991, the ambitious project flopped badly, facing instant rejection and reportedly causing heavy financial losses to its makers.

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It's been 35 years since the superhero film 'Ajooba', the most expensive movie of the 90s, was released. Two directors, Shashi Kapoor and Gennady Vasilyev, helmed this 1991 film. It was Shashi Kapoor's dream Indo-Russian project.

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A team of five writers—Prayag Raj, Brij Katyal, Bharat B. Bhalla, A. Avetikov, and Valentin Ezhov—wrote Shashi Kapoor's film 'Ajooba'. It's said that Amitabh Bachchan interfered a lot in the casting, which is why the film didn't turn out as it was supposed to.

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Reportedly, Shashi Kapoor never wanted to direct 'Ajooba'. He actually wanted Raj Kapoor to helm the film, but Raj Kapoor couldn't due to health issues. On Amitabh Bachchan's advice, Shashi Kapoor then co-directed it with Gennady Vasilyev. Instead of telling the story seriously, they packed it with too much masala and comedy, which made the audience reject it.

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Shashi Kapoor and Gennady Vasilyev took six years to complete the film. It featured many Russian artists alongside Bollywood stars. The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Sonam, Shammi Kapoor, Dara Singh, Amrish Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, Ariadna Shengelaya, Tinnu Anand, and Giorgi Darchiashvili. Initially, Amjad Khan was cast as the lead villain, but Amrish Puri later replaced him.

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'Ajooba' was made on a massive budget of ₹8 crore, making it the most expensive film of the 90s. However, it tanked at the box office right after release, earning only ₹3.50 crore. Reports say 'Ajooba' was meant to be Amitabh Bachchan's comeback movie, but it didn't help his career at all. The movie has a 5.2 rating on IMDb.

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Besides directing, Shashi Kapoor also produced 'Ajooba'. It's said that he invested all his life savings into this film. When the movie flopped, he suffered a massive financial loss. Before this, he had produced acclaimed films like '36 Chowringhee Lane', 'Kalyug', 'Vijeta', and 'Utsav'.