How Aamir Khan's blockbuster ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' was saved from shutdown with Deepak Tijori's timely intervention
Legendary actor Deepak Tijori recently opened up about the circumstances under which he landed the pivotal role in Aamir Khan starrer ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' which helped save the film from being shut down. According to Tijori, he had initially lost out on the role after auditioning for it but received a call from his mentor Mahesh Bhatt months later asking him to help bail out the production.
By that time, 75% of the filming for the cult sports drama had already been completed in Ooty. However, rumours were rife that the project had run into trouble with actors reportedly walking off the set which brought the production to a standstill. When Tijori reached the location, he learnt that Nasir Hussain, the film's producer, was in dire need of someone to immediately take over Milind Soman's role of Shekhar which was offered to him earlier.
Only after confirming with Soman and on the insistence of Bhatt, Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan, Tijori reluctantly agreed to step in. His decision proved instrumental in rescuing the film from getting shut down altogether. Once released in 1992, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' was hailed as generation-defining work which established Aamir and Deepak Tijori as bankable stars. It also featured evergreen songs that still resonate with the masses.
