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The Hollywood classic cult film The Godfather has inspired many Bollywood films including the 1975 film Dharmatma which was released 50 years ago on April 30 1975. The lead role and direction were handled by the renowned actor-director Late Feroz Khan. The film had a star-studded cast along with the Dream Girl of Bollywood Hema Malini. But did you know that it was first offered to legendary superstar Rajesh Khanna? When Rajesh Khanna Was Removed From Dharmatma According to reports Rajesh Khanna was in discussions with Feroz Khan regarding the casting for the film. However despite their talks the casting did not materialize for some undisclosed reason. Although speculations have been made that Feroz wanted to cast Rajesh Khanna due to his superstar status believing that his presence would contribute to the film’s success. Ultimately Feroz decided to proceed without Rajesh Khanna as he felt that if the film succeeded all the credit would go to Khanna. By taking on the lead role himself Feroz aimed to target his role along with his superstar stature. When Hema Malini Shared About Incident With Feroz Khan During her appearance on the music show Indian Idol 15 Hema Malini recounted her experience of working with superstar Feroz Khan. The actress recalled that while filming the iconic track Kya Khoob Lagti Ho Badi Sundar Dikhti Ho song for the film Dharmatma Feroz Khan got annoyed and kicked something in anger which he later realised was her makeup box. She said “It was during the shoot of the song ‘Kya Khoob Lagti Ho Badi Sundar Dikhti Ho.’ Feroz Khan was a very passionate filmmaker and during blast scene at the end of the song people were laughing in the background. This made him angry and in his frustration he kicked something without realizing what it was. Later he discovered that it was my makeup box.” Due to the chaos the filming was delayed for almost half a day. She jokingly added “There was pin-drop silence for two days afterward because everyone was scared. He apologized as soon as he realized it was mine.” More about Dharmatma Dharmatma was the first Indian movie filmed in Afghanistan. It became a superhit and marked Feroz Khans first successful venture as both a director and producer. The cast included notable actors such as Hema Malini Rekha Farida Jalal Ranjeet and Danny Denzongpa. The action-thriller flick which was made on Rs 1.5 crore budget earned Rs 5 crore and became one of the biggest blockbusters of that year.