Did you know that Sanjay Dutt suggested the role of Maharani in Sadak?

Sanjay Dutt

Bollywood would not be Bollywood without the villains, who give a tough time to our macho heroes. Indian cinema has seen larger-than-life villains like Gabbar Singh, Mogambo, Dr. Dang, and Shaakaal, whom we love to hate! Maharani from Sadak, played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar, was one of the dreadful villains in the Hindi film industry. On Sadashiv Amrapurkar's 69th birthday which was on May 11, a show, Lights Camera and Kissey reminisced his award-winning performance as the villain, while revealing the story behind the character, Maharani.

The brainchild behind the character of Maharani was none other than the hero of the movie - Sanjay Dutt. Even though Sadashiv Amrapurkar lived the character on screen, Sanjay Dutt initiated the thought and inspired to create this character.

Mahesh Bhatt wanted to cast Sanjay Dutt in the lead role and approached him with the script. On hearing the script, Dutt recalled a real-life experience that had etched an inedible mark on his mind. Whilst his visit to one of the Mumbai slums, he had encountered a man who dressed as a woman and would boss around everyone in the slums.

Sanjay Dutt proposed the idea of creating the villain of the movie on similar character lines and individuality as it would be an ideal fit for the script. On the other hand, Mahesh Bhatt liked the characterization of the villain and agreed to add this element. Thus, was born one of the Bollywood's most hated villain - Maharani, a ruthless eunuch who was a criminal and ran a brothel.

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While the character was exciting and different, there was still the problem of casting the right person who would bring 'Maharani' to life on screen. Thus began the search, which ended with Sadashiv Amrapurkar being cast for the role. Mahesh Bhatt decided to cast Sadashiv in the role while watching his performance in Govind Nihalani's Ardh Sathya - a cult classic.

When Sadashiv Amrapurkar was offered the role he saw this as the golden opportunity that would place him next to greats like Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan. He grabbed the opportunity and delivered the performance of a lifetime. He has not just bought the character of 'Maharani' alive, rather he immortalized the character. To celebrate the character and the performance, Filmfare instituted the new category of 'Best actor in a negative role', which was awarded to Sadashiv Amrapurkar in 1991.

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