India, May 11 -- The 1987 sci-fi superhero action film Mr India was a turning point in Anil Kapoor's career, launching him to stardom. But turns out, he was not the first choice to star in it. In an interview with MidDay, Javed Akhtar revealed that it was Amitabh Bachchan who inspired him to write the story. Here's how. (Also Read: Javed Akhtar recalls 'bahut bure din' when he had only two pairs of clothes, starved for days: 'I could have died')

Javed was asked if it's true that Amitabh was the first choice for Mr India. He replied affirmatively and said, "Pramod Chakravorty was planning a picture, I don't think it was ever made. And the leading man was Amitabh Bachchan, who was at that time shooting somewhere in Europe. He had to do the...