The Indian film industry lost one of its most celebrated writer-directors as veteran filmmaker K Bhagyaraj passed away on Saturday, June 27. Known for his distinctive storytelling, relatable characters and effortless blend of humor and emotion, Bhagyaraj has left a legacy that spans decades and languages. Although he was initially considered a monster of Tamil cinema, his work also had a lasting impact on Hindi cinema, most memorably with ‘Akhri Rasta’ (1986), which brought him together Amitabh Bachchan.In the mid-1980s producer A Purnachandra Rao, popularly known as Purna Chandra, approached Bhagyaraj to direct a Hindi film, the filmmaker’s stories already gaining recognition among Hindi audiences through remakes of his Tamil hits. This time, however, Rao wanted Bhagyaraj in the director’s chair. The filmmaker was initially hesitant, as Hindi cinema was then dominated by action films, when he built his reputation on family dramas with light-hearted humor. Despite his reservations, Rao persisted, eventually convincing Bhagyaraj to narrate a story.That story had already been adapted into Tamil in ‘Oru Kaithiyin Diary’ (1984), directed and starring Bharathiraj. Kamal Hasan In a dual role. Rao envisioned Amitabh Bachchan to lead the Hindi adaptation and arranged for the superstar to listen to the script in Chennai. Although Amitabh loved the story, he reportedly questioned whether Bhagyaraj, who had never directed a major action film, could handle such a project. Bhagyaraj later recalled that Poorna Chandra had saved him, telling Amitabh that since the story was entirely Bhagyaraj’s creation, he knew exactly how to execute it.Released in 1986 under Lakshmi Productions, the film eventually became ‘Akhri Rasta’. According to Bhagyaraj, Amitabh tested him on the first day of shooting. Despite already having a complete script, the actor asked the director to explain how a particular scene would be shot. Bhagyaraj believed it was a test of his preparation. Before the explanation was complete, Amitabh smiled and said, “I understand. I think I can manage now,” he passed, trusting Bhagyaraj.As Bhagyaraj did not know Hindi, he wrote the screenplay in Tamil before translating it. Every morning, he would perform each scene himself so that Amitabh could judge whether the intended emotion survived the translation. The routine amused Bachchan, who often joked about it on set.The biggest creative disagreement between the two came with a pivotal graveyard sequence, where a father confronts his estranged son by the mother’s grave. Speaking to Rediff’s Shobha Warrier, Bhagyaraj recalled, “We had an argument about it. I wanted the father and son to have a heated argument in English at the graveyard. He completely disagreed with me. He said the audience wouldn’t understand that much in English. I refused to budge.”After giving it some thought, Amitabh agreed to trust his director’s instincts and the scene was shot in English.Bhagyaraj later revealed that Amitabh called him personally after the film’s release to confirm that the decision had been made. “He called me one midnight and said, ‘Sir, I saw how the audience reacted to that particular scene. When I started speaking in English, the first applause started from the front bench. It was followed by the applause of the educated class. You are right. You have judged the mood of the audience very well,'” recalled Bhagyaraj.He also shared that his wife Jaya commented that ‘Akhri Rasta’ felt less like an Amitabh Bachchan film and more like a Bhagyaraj film.The film, which starred Amitabh Bachchan as well as Jaya Prada and Sridevi, is one of the superstar’s memorable performances from the 1980s, with audiences continuing to remember the dual roles of a wrongfully imprisoned father and his police officer son.Years later, when ‘Aakhri Rasta’ completed 33 years in 2019, Amitabh Bachchan looked back on the collaboration fondly after a fan praised the film on social media. Responding to the appreciation, he wrote, “Thank you and my gratitude, it was a great experience and a great story, Ke Bhagyaraj, new to me but so effective in his direction.”
