Amitabh Bachchan’s Shahenshah holds a special place in Hindi cinema for obvious reasons. But for actor and dancer Mahesh Anand, the film was life-changing as it finally put him on the map. Before that, he had struggled to find recognition, but his turn as one of Bachchan’s on-screen antagonists in Tinnu Anand’s action drama made audiences take notice. Mahesh Anand made his acting debut in 1984 with Karishmaa, a film that starred Kamal Haasan, Reena Roy, Tina Munim, and Danny Denzongpa. However, his connection with this stellar cast went back even further. Two years before Karishmaa, he had performed a striking silhouette dance in the opening sequence of Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), also produced by Barkha Roy, Reena’s sister. It was while working on these films that Mahesh met Barkha, and their professional association soon blossomed into romance. The two got married, but their relationship did not last long. Mahesh Anand and Jeetendra in the film Tahqiqaat. (Express Archives) In 1987, he married Erika Maria D’Souza, a former Miss India. The couple had a son, …