3 min readMumbaiFeb 11, 2026 10:11 PM IST Back in the 1980s, Anil Kapoor was known for his ‘jhakaas’ image, thanks to films like Ram Lakhan and Tezaan, so when the actor decided to change gears and venture into an unconventional relationship drama with K Vishwanath’s Eeshwar, the film industry was surprised. The film was a remake of Vishwanath’s Telugu cult classic Swathi Muthyam. However, Anil wasn’t the first choice for the film. Anil, who recently graced the 12th edition of Expresso by SCREEN, revealed that the film was initially being planned with Kamal Haasan, who had also starred in the original. In a conversation with Saurabh Dwivedi, Editor, Indian Express Hindi, the actor shared that veteran filmmaker Raj Kapoor was first planning the Hindi remake as producer, and Kamal as the lead hero. “Raj saab wanted to make this film with Kamal Haasan. He had come to my house and told me about it. He also said that I could also play such a role, but he was planning to make it with Kamal …