Javed Akhtar, a highly respected and influential figure in the Indian entertainment industry, is renowned for his thought-provoking poetry, impactful screenplays, and memorable song lyrics. However, director Tinnu Anand has made a shocking confession regarding the film “Main Azaad Hoon,” stating that it was copied from two Hollywood films featuring Amitabh Bachchan.
In the late 1980s, Amitabh Bachchan faced a challenging period in his political career due to the Bofors scandal. This caused damage to his reputation, and during this time, Javed Akhtar proposed a solution to restore it. Javed Akhtar suggested working on a film that would project a positive image of Amitabh Bachchan. Tinnu Anand, who had previously collaborated with Amitabh Bachchan, revealed that this proposal served as the inspiration for their 1989 film “Main Azaad Hoon.” Amitabh Bachchan agreed to the project under the condition that Tinnu Anand would direct the film.
In a conversation with Radio Nasha, Tinnu Anand admitted that they believed they were developing an original concept by Javed Akhtar. However, they later discovered similarities to the 1976 Hollywood film “Network” and the 1941 film “Meet John Doe.” He explained that on the day of the film’s release, another film called “Meet John Doe” was released on Doordarshan by the opposition party. Tinnu Anand felt let down by Javed Akhtar for not disclosing this fact and not allowing them to watch the original films before producing “Main Azaad Hoon.”
The filmmaker expressed his disappointment, stating that he would have liked to compare their script with the originals. When they confronted Javed Akhtar about this, he admitted that he didn’t want them to get inspired by the original films. However, Tinnu Anand believed this to be a lie.
“Main Azaad Hoon” also featured Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher. Unfortunately, the film did not perform well at the box office.