Aditya Pancholi hints that Anil Kapoor and Boney Kapoor convinced N. Chandra to replace him in Tezaab: ‘Politics in the film industry runs deeper than nepotism’ | Bollywood News

When N Chandra’s 1988 film Tezaab hit theatres, it became a blockbuster. The film ran for over a year in cinemas, turning Madhuri Dixit into an overnight sensation with the chartbuster “Ek Do Teen” and cementing Anil Kapoor’s status as one of Bollywood’s most bankable stars after Mr India. However, it seems that Kapoor wasn’t the first choice for the role.
Actor Aditya Pancholi, who had just entered the industry at the time, recently revealed that he was originally cast in Tezaab opposite Madhuri. Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Pancholi made a striking claim, writing, “I was the original choice for Tezaab (1988), opposite Madhuri Dixit. You can confirm this with the film’s director, N Chandra.”
He further alleged that he was replaced due to industry influence, saying, “Unfortunately, an actor—through his elder brother, who remains active in the industry—convinced the director to replace me. The rest, as they say, is hory.”
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Although Aditya Pancholi didn’t name anyone directly, his comments seemed to point towards Anil Kapoor and his producer brother, Boney Kapoor.
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Back in the late ’80s, Aditya Pancholi was just beginning his career, having signed multiple television and film projects. Losing Tezaab was reportedly a major setback. Instead, his first significant film that year became Dayavan, starring Vinod Khanna and Madhuri Dixit, though Khanna eventually walked away with most of the spotlight.

In the same post, Pancholi also touched upon the ongoing debate about nepotism and favouritism in Bollywood. He wrote, “Recently, I saw an actor speak about nepotism while promoting his new release. Let me say this clearly — politics in the film industry runs deeper than nepotism. Favouritism, manipulation, and power games shape careers more than family ties ever could.”Story continues below this ad
Aditya Pancholi further hinted that he would soon share stories about his later collaborations, writing in the comments that he plans to talk about “what made him work with him (Anil Kapoor) in Musafir,” followed “the Trimurti fiasco.”