Anil Kapoor became an A-grade star with this movie and the credit goes to Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan.
The 1980s proved challenging for legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra, with his films like Silsila (1981) and Faasle (1985) failing to perform well at the box office. Hoping to break this streak, Chopra directed Mashaal (1984), a drama with powerhouse actors like Dilip Kumar and a young Anil Kapoor. However, Mashaal also fell short commercially, earning Rs 2.5 crore against its Rs 2.9 crore budget. Despite the setback, the movie was a turning point in Anil Kapoor’s career, establishing him as a promising star.
Anil Kapoor’s character, Raja, embodied the “angry young man” archetype that Amitabh Bachchan popularised in films like Deewar (1975) and Trishul (1978). Interestingly, Kapoor wasn’t the first choice for the role. According to IMDb, the role was initially offered to Sunny Deol. However, Dharmendra, Sunny’s father and a veteran actor himself, advised him against accepting it, citing concerns that Sunny might struggle to hold his ground opposite a stalwart like Dilip Kumar. Sunny took his father’s advice and declined the role.
After Sunny Deol refused, Amitabh Bachchan and actor Kamal Haasan were also approached for Anil Kapoor’s ‘Raja’ role, but Big B could not be a part of this film due to his busy schedule. Kamal also refused to do the film due to unknown reasons. After the two superstars rejected the role, it came to Kapoor, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Mashaal was the turning point in his career. “Woh Saat Din (1983) earned me a lot of love from the audience and it was fairly successful but Mashaal, despite not doing well commercially, made me an A-grade hero,” said Kapoor, in an interview with The Indian Express Indulge. “I remember when the film was released, I was featured in a cover of a magazine and the headline read, ‘A Star Is Born’.
Maashal was liked very much by the audience and Anil Kapoor become an A-grade actor. The film was well-received in Canadian theatres. It did a business of Rs 7 crores worldwide.
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