6 blockbuster movies rejected by Dilip Kumar 

Team OTTplay

Dilip Kumar’s missed hits 

Referred as the ‘Abhinay Samrat’ or Emperor of Acting – Dilip Kumar remains one of the iconic Hindi cinema actors with numerous blockbusters. Here are some of the hits he missed: 

Baiju Bawra 

Vijay Bhatt’s musical romantic film is among the greatest Hindi films of all time. Dilip Kumar rejected Bharat Bhushan’s role opposite Meena Kumari. 

Baghban

This classic blockbuster family drama film was first envisioned with Dilip Kumar in the lead opposite Hema Malini. Later, Amitabh Bachchan headlined the male lead. 

Pyaasa

Dilip Kumar lost this masterpiece drama film to Guru Dutt. The movie garnered critical and commercial success. 

Zanjeer

Dilip Kumar was initially offered the iconic role of inspector Vijay but he turned down this blockbuster film and it was then picked by Amitabh Bachchan. 

Sholay

Dilip Kumar was also approached for Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster film. However, he turned down this epic film and it later went to Sanjeev Kumar. 

Virasat

Priyadarshan’s blockbuster film was also rejected by Dilip Kumar. He was the first choice for Om Puri’s role.