For Meenakshi Seshadri Mysore, Meri Jung is “undoubtedly one of the milestones” of her acting career. “The film has been an iconic addition to Bollywood commercial cinema, and even after 40 years, people continue to like it,” she tells us.

She was still new to films when this Hindi drama, which turns 40 today, came her way. “I was very new in the industry back then and had already done the film Hero (1983) with (director) Subhash Ghai,” she says. Because of this connection, she “came on board later” for Meri Jung.

Interestingly, her role was originally different. “The original script had the leading lady playing the role of a doctor who needs legal help in a poison case. However, the director wanted a glamorous lead, and so my character was sketched as the sister of the doctor, a role later played by (actor) Beena Banerjee.”

Anil Kapoor’s character is the film’s primary focus; he plays a man seeking revenge for his father’s wrongful conviction. On the film being hero-centric, Meenakshi adds, “I knew from the very beginning that this was totally Anil’s vehicle.”

Looking ahead, Meenakshi is reviewing several scripts across formats as she prepares to return to the screen. Last year, she recreated the track Jeet Jayenge Hum Tu Agar from the film along with actor Manjari Fadnis.

For actor Jaaved Jaaferi, the 40th anniversary of Meri Jung is especially significant as it was his first Bollywood film. He says, “For anyone, his debut remains closest to his heart.” He emphasizes the uniqueness of his role: “It was not a typical masala movie villain role. Instead, Vicky was a suave, smart college student, who was much ahead of his times when it comes to portraying vileness on screen.”

The offer was a major chance, one that his father, the legendary 70s actor Jagdeep, also encouraged: “Backed by N P Sippy, directed by Subhash Ghai, penned by Javed Akhtar, and featuring co-stars like Amrish Puri ji and Anil Kapoor.”

He notes an interesting piece of trivia: “I would mention here that Anil Kapoor was not the first choice for the role; it was initially meant for Amitabh Bachchan but later went to the former. So, what more could any newcomer ask for?”