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From iconic films like Kaalia to Shahenshah, Tinnu Anand played a pivotal role in shaping the Angry Young Man image of Amitabh Bachchan, giving it a fresh edge and intensity. While his collaborations with Bachchan are well documented, Anand also directed other major stars of the era. In a recent candid conversation with Bollywood Bubble, he opened up about the immense challenges he faced during his directorial debut Duniya Meri Jeb Mein, which starred Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor.
“I was very lucky to work with Amitabh Bachchan, he was extremely disciplined,” Anand recalled. “On the other hand, while working on Duniya Meri Jeb Mein, I had Rishi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, who were the complete opposite. Shashi had it in his contract that he would only shoot from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. So eight hours shift cut to two hours. Rishi would say, ‘I’ll only come at 10 a.m. and leave by 6.’ I had a nervous breakdown worrying how we’d shoot without both of them together as they are playing brothers in the film. They wouldn’t even be together for two hours on set. How will I shoot scenes featuring them?”
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The situation became so overwhelming that Anand found himself unable to cope, until action director Veeru Devgan stepped in. “Then somehow Veeru Devgan got to know about this. And he was like, ‘Heard you are getting nervous breakdown.’ So I was like, ‘What else should I do? How will it work?’ Then he asked, ‘When are we scheduling the fight scene between the two?’ I said, ‘Next week.’ He said, ‘Okay, done. Don’t worry. Let each of them come at the time they want, we will make it work.’” That moment turned out to be one of the most eye-opening experiences of his career. “It was then when I learnt real filmmaking. Learnt from Veeru Devgan than Satyajit Ray. He showed me how to shoot a scene involving two actors when one of them isn’t even present.”
Anand had also opened up in an earlier interview with Radio Nasha about his experience working alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the 1990 cult classic Agneepathas an actor. Anand, who played a memorable antagonist in the film, revealed that his role came with a rather unconventional brief. He shared that it was his nephew who cast him in the film but offered little explanation about the character. “I asked, ‘What is my role?’ He said, ‘There’s no specific language for you. Just keep hurling abuses,’” he recalled. Reflecting on the impact of his intense performance, he added, “Even Amitabh Bachchan got a complex because I was throwing out expletives left and right, and for many, it was the first time hearing such language in cinema.”
Although Anand has stepped away from direction in recent years, his passion for storytelling hasn’t faded. In the same interview, he revealed that he is keen on writing a sequel to Shahenshah.
