35 Years of Shahenshah – When Amitabh Bachchan’s Shahenshah prevailed over call of nationwide boycott

By Joginder Tuteja -

August 30, 2023 - 4:39 PM IST

2023 marks 35 years of Shahenshah. Back in 1988 when the film released, as an 11 year old boy, I had started getting more and more familiar with Amitabh Bachchan's stardom, aura and personality. No wonder, when his comeback film Shahenshah released that year, the idea was to watch it on the first day itself. Fortunately for me, my parents have been huge Bollywood buffs as well (it all runs in the genes!) and hence there we were, along with my younger brother, all packed in a Premier Padmini car, and a long drive from Gurgaon (where I live) to Delhi.

35 Years of Shahenshah – When Amitabh Bachchan’s Shahenshah prevailed over call of nationwide boycott

As is the adage, the journey is sometimes all the more beautiful than the destination. Even as me and my brother continued to recite the famous dialogue "Rishtey mein toh hum tumhare baap hote hai...naam hai Shahenshah" and more, there was a major disappointment awaiting us even as we tried to navigate the by-lanes of old Delhi to make it to Shiela theater.

It was not just the first show, which was houseful; the entire weekend didn't have a single spare ticket. Leave aside managing an enquiry at the box office counter; we could not even come anywhere close to the parking of the (now defunct) prestigious single screen theater. Such huge were the crowds that black marketers were seen making a killing even half a kilometre away from the theater. Well, we didn't quite bite the bullet. No, it wasn't a matter of ethics; it's just that we weren't rich enough to buy a ticket for Rs. 100 each.

Even as we tried to find a U-turn to instead just hang out at nearby Connaught Place and have some good lunch at Kwality restaurant, I had a brainwave of sorts. I decided to somehow sneak in around the periphery of the theater at least and try my luck. Even as my father reluctantly drove the closest he could to the theater, I stepped out, confidently marched amongst the crowd and somehow managed to reach the lobby of the stall. No, I wasn't brave enough to step inside, but was happy just to stand outside the door and listen to a few dialogues.

Happy with my little adventure that lasted good 10 minutes before the guard caught me and royally escorted me out, I rushed back to the waiting car, and excitingly narrated what I had heard.

This was just the trailer as 'picture abhi baaki thi'. Even as we stepped into Connaught Place and enquired with other theaters around ticket availability, the response was just the same. Now that was truly amazing indeed since back in time the situation was quite bad for Amitabh Bachchan and his team, as the call for nationwide boycott of the film was loud and clear for many days leading to its release. The numero uno superstar had just quit politics and apparently, some political folks had a bone to pick with him. It had seemed like the film would never release.

Those were not the days of social media or 200 news channels. Still, the news spread like wildfire that theater owners were threatened of dire repercussions by the mischief creators and 'aam junta' wasn't safe either if they ventured into the film. However, the promo of this Tinnu Anand directed film had done the trick and such was the aura that Amitabh Bachchan carried in his Shahenshah costume that his diehard fans (like us) had their own ideas. Buoyed by the craze amongst the audiences, the film was released on a record count of screens and price.

I saw it all happening right in front of me first hand as friends and family members too narrated similar instances from far off. 'Yahan Bombay mein bhi ticket nahi mil rahi', 'Lucknow mein bhi yahi haalat hai', 'Calcutta ka toh poocho bhi mat' - that's what relatives had to say about the hardcore 'masala' film that had Amrish Puri roar as a suave businessman criminal JK.

This is where we had to adapt to the second course of action - videocassette. Those were the times when a rental for a regular film was Rs. 10 and for a biggie it used to be Rs. 20. Shahenshah, lasting for 3 hours, came in a double cassette pack, a delight for Bollywood lovers like me. This also meant shelling out Rs. 40, and that too for just the running duration of the film as the 'video parlour waale bhaiyaa' knocked the door for the pick-up soon enough so that it could be delivered to the next family of Big B fans.

I didn't own a VCR back then, my maternal uncle did, and hence it was decided that the cassettes would be booked well in advance. It was a waiting period of two weeks and it was only then that we saw the magic of Big B, his husky voice as Shahenshah, his paan chewing antic as the cop, and the dialoguebaazi that ensued between him and Amrish Puri, especially during the epic courtroom scene, on a 21 inch Akai TV. It was superb fun, and we rented and watched again, and then rented again and watched, until we decided to buy the two cassette pack for ourselves.

From 1988 until at least 1998, it was a ritual for our family to watch the film at least once a year. Later, we graduated to the VCD and then the DVD and now online streaming. Shahenshah stays on to be a ritual at least for me. Well, the regret that I carry though is that I never had a well deserving theatrical watch of the biggie back in 1988. However, for an entire new generation, which is today finding its bearings in the OTT culture, it would be tough to explain the fun that I missed, isn't it?

Rest assured, if the film ever gets re-released even for even a show, I would be the first to join the queue. Hopefully this time I would get a place inside the auditorium, and not outside it!

Also Read: 35 Years of Shehanshah: “Jackie Shroff enjoyed the publicity that he replaced Amitabh Bachchan in Shahenshah. He signed 4-5 films because of that” – Tinnu Anand