Flashback: Why Prakash Mehra's 'Zanjeer' is still considered a cult classic

It has been 40 years since Prakash Mehra introduced the 'Angry Young Man' to Bollywood and gave the film industry superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

The film was path breaking for the era in terms of its gritty story line. Actor Pran played Sher Khan with great aplomb.

Actor Ajit Khan played the iconic villain, Teja, in the film .

The film came at a point when the youth in the country was frustrated with the system. Amitabh's character in the film gave a voice to the people of the country.

Interestingly, the role of Inspector Vijay was initially offered to actor Raj Kumar who refused to do the role.

Starring Amitabh Bachhan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran and Ajit Khan in pivotal roles, 'Zanjeer' was written by ace writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar.

The film narrated the story of Vijay Khanna, an honest police officer who is in search of his parents killers.

The movie changed the trend from romantic films to action films and pioneered Amitabh's new image of a brooding but explosive person who fights back when cornered.

The film also marked an end to Bachchan's struggling period and catapulted him to super stardom which was till then enjoyed by Rajesh Khanna.

Forty years later, Prakash Mehra's 'Zanjeer' is still considered as one of the cult classics of Hindi cinema.