‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ became a box-office success upon its 1992 release and has since gone on to build a devoted cult following. Starring Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, Pooja Bedi and Deepak Tijori, it’s now widely considered one of Indian cinema’s finest coming-of-age films. Yet its production was anything but seamless, marked by repeated casting shuffles and lengthy delays. The film was initially set to feature Aamir Khan alongside Girija Shettar and Milind Soman, though several cast members were swapped out before completion.
Pooja Bedi recalls the casting shake-up in Jo ‘Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’
Looking back at the casting shake-up, Pooja Bedi recently told Vickey Lalwani, “From what I have heard, it was about 60% shot and then me, Deepak Tijori and Ayesha Jhulka stepped in and played our happy parts and fit the characters now that Mansoor was thinking they should be portrayed in this manner and sort of resonated with the energy of what he was intending to create on cinema. And we had so much fun shooting it. We had so much fun. I had one scene left with Milind. Milind was still there when I entered and I shot one scene with him and then he got replaced. Then Deepak Tijori stepped in.”
Deepak Tijori’s initial rejection from ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’
Deepak Tijori had earlier revealed to Bollywood Bubble that he was initially in the running for ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ but was passed over despite a strong audition. Around that same period, Mahesh Bhatt signed him on for ‘Aashiqui’ and ‘Sadak’, projects that helped him establish himself as an actor. Interestingly, once nearly 75% of ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ had already been shot with Milind Soman playing the lead antagonist, Deepak was brought back on board.The actor recalled, “So they had shot 75 per cent of the film with Milind. I used to hear stories that there was a problem going on on the sets of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. But since I was not involved with the film, I didn’t pay attention. I moved on, ended Aashiqui and Sadak (1991). Mahesh Bhatt asked me to go and meet Mansoor Khan. I refused. But he—you know how he would give gaalis… It’s his love and affection… So I agreed to meet Mansoor, and there I got to meet Nasir Hussain sahab.”
Deepak Tijori’s revelation at Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’s 30th anniversary
Deepak also shared a revelation he came across at the film’s 30th-anniversary celebration in 2022. “I got to know something on the 30th anniversary of the film… Aamir and Mansoor told me that the film had shut down and Mansoor was in depression because he thought that he had wasted all his father’s money. The film was restarted after I came in,” he said.
