Aditya Pancholi Takes A Dig At Anil Kapoor, Claims He Was The Original Choice For Tezaab: 'Politics Runs Deeper Than...'

Veteran actor Aditya Pancholi has delivered some remarkable performances in the film industry. Recently, he stirred a debate online after claiming that he was the original choice to star opposite Madhuri Dixit in the 1988 blockbuster Tezaab. He took an indirect dig at Anil Kapoor, stating that an actor with an influential brother replaced him. Tezaab was produced by Boney Kapoor. Pancholi also exposed the dark side of the industry, claiming that power games often shape careers more than family ties.

Aditya Pancholi Reveals He Was Original Choice For Tezaab

In the movie, Tezaab, Anil Kapoor played the lead role opposite Madhuri, a role that was given to Aditya Pancholi was initially offered to him. He wrote on X, "I was the original choice for Tezaab (1988), opposite @MadhuriDixit. Director N. Chandra, still very much around, can confirm this. Unfortunately, an actor, through his elder brother (who remains active in the industry), influenced the director to replace me. The rest, as they say, is history."

He also commented on the ongoing debate around nepotism and favouritism in Bollywood. The actor added, “Recently, I saw an actor speak about nepotism while promoting his new release. Let me say this clearly: Politics in the film industry runs deeper than nepotism. Favouritism, manipulation, and power games shape careers more than family ties ever could."

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His post soon grabbed the attention of netizens, who questioned his collaboration with Anil in the Musafir and the Trimurti fiasco.

I was the original choice for Tezaab (1988), opposite @MadhuriDixit . Director N. Chandra, still very much around can confirm this.

Unfortunately, an actor, through his elder brother (who remains active in the industry), influenced the director to replace me. The rest, as they… pic.twitter.com/0GsBvsK2KG

— Aditya Pancholi (@AdityaRPancholi) October 27, 2025

One X user wrote, "But you two eventually worked together in Musafir. Was there any animosity on set sir? There was the whole Trimurti fiasco also. And I’ve also heard he wanted to have u in Virasat. Is that also true?" To this Aditya Pancholi responded, "I will write about Trimurti another time. Thanks."

Some even confirmed, "is he referring to Anil Kapoor and his brother Boney Kapoor as the actors who influenced the director? Kindly confirm."

Another comment read, "The actor you meant has always lobbied for roles and has been known to edit out other actors ' parts if they were better than his. He didn't want Naseer sahab in Parinda. This is just one example of how insecure he has been throughout his career."

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About Tezaab Movie

Directed by N. Chandra, Tezaab was an action-romance film that became one of the biggest hits of 1988. This project played a key role in cementing Madhuri Dixit’s career with her iconic song Ek Do Teen. Anil's performance in the film was also wildely lauded.