I personally don’t believe that Zanjeer (1973) is “the best film” of anyone involved in it — be it director Prakash Mehra; actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan (née Bhaduri), Ajit Khan, and Pran; screenwriter duo Salim-Javed; or composers Kalyanji-Anandji. Yet, there’s no denying that Zanjeer was a pathbreaking film that established “failed newcomer” Amitabh Bachchan as an actor and marked the birth of the “angry young man” archetype that became a sensation across the country.

Although Zanjeer might look formulaic now, it was the film that introduced a story pattern that eventually became a formula used by creators across India. It wasn’t a masala film, but it had elements and plot devices belonging to various genres, ranging from action sequences and romance to drama.…