Did you know that Ram Charan’s Bollywood debut was the remake of this iconic Amitabh Bachchan film?

Ram Charan shot to global stardom with SS Rajamouli’s RRR, winning fans across the globe. His Bollywood entry was with the 2013 film Zanjeer where he bravely took on an iconic role previously played by Amitabh Bachchan.

Apoorva Lakhia directed the 2013 remake of Zanjeer, starring Ram Charan alongside Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni and Mahie Gill. The film, which also had a Telugu release, was a remake of the original 1973 film directed by Prakash Mehra. The original cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Ajit Khan and Bindu. Despite his confidence to enter Hindi cinema, Ram Charan has not taken up any other Hindi project since then.

Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic Zanjeer was originally released in 1973 and its remake came out in 2013, but unfortunately, Ram Charan’s film faced challenges at the box office and did not do well on its release. The makers invested 60 crore in the production of Zanjeer. Despite a substantial budget, the film was a financial disappointment, earning only Rs 22 crore at the box office.

In a 2013 interview with the Hyderabad Times, Ram Charan discussed his Bollywood debut in Zanjeer, recalling a conversation with a prominent Bollywood star who warned him about the daunting task. The star added that the weight of taking on a film like Zanjeer, revealing that even her son Amitabh Bachchan shied away from attempting it. In response, Ram Charan expressed his confidence, stating, “Sir, let me tell you that I was born to handle pressure. I’ve had people come to me and say I have to fill my dad’s shoes.” He acknowledged the huge challenge, noting that with Amitabh Bachchan’s film, the shoes got bigger.

Ram Charan’s last appearance was in the Telugu film RRR (2022), which won an Academy Award for Original Song (Naatu Naatu). Along with Jr. NTR and Alia Bhatt, traveled to the US earlier this year to promote the film during the awards season. Ram Charan and his wife Upasana Konidela attended the Oscars together.

Ram Charan is currently shooting for his upcoming project, tentatively titled Game Changer, with director Shankar. The action film features Kiara Advani as his co-star. This collaboration marks the first time that Shankar and Ram Charan are working together in a Telugu film.