In a recent interview, renowned director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra revealed a shocking secret about the film that was supposed to mark Abhishek Bachchan’s Bollywood debut – “Samjhauta Express.”

According to Mehra, “Samjhauta Express” was originally intended to be Abhishek Bachchan’s debut film, rather than the well-known “Refugee” by J.P. Dutta. The script of “Samjhauta Express” was meticulously prepared, with Abhishek set to play the role of a Pakistani terrorist – a role that Mehra had high hopes for. The film’s storyline revolved around a terrorist who harbored hatred for India due to his father being wrongfully framed as a terrorist. Abhishek’s character devises a plan to rescue his father from prison, but during the process, he falls in love with a female police officer, and in the end, is killed by the same officer. His body is then sent back to Pakistan on the Samjhauta Express train.

Full Video:

However, just three months before filming was set to begin, the project was indefinitely suspended. According to Mehra, the main reason was that many in the film industry believed that having Abhishek play a Pakistani terrorist in his very first film would be too risky and could harm his career. Unable to convince others of his vision, Mehra was forced to accept the cancellation of the project.

This decision left Mehra deeply disappointed. In a moment of anger, he burned all the research materials and the photos from the look tests for the film. This emotional act reflected his profound frustration over losing a project he had poured so much passion into.

“Samjhauta Express” was not just a film project, but also carried a deep message about the futility of violence between nations. Mehra shared that the message he wanted to convey through this film was that no matter how much we continue the war with the bodies of our children, the wounds of hatred will never be healed. The only way to build a real bridge is through love.

Although the film’s script was intriguing and meaningful, no one was willing to take the risk at that time, which ultimately led to the project being shelved. Later, Abhishek Bachchan officially made his debut in the film “Refugee” in 2000, and “Samjhauta Express” became one of the forgotten film projects, only brought to light nearly 25 years later.

The story of “Samjhauta Express” highlights the challenges and risks filmmakers face when creating groundbreaking artistic works, especially in a demanding industry like Bollywood.