Rajesh Khanna had earned the name and fame after essaying an array of characters and trying different shades of cinema. Among the multitude of iconic films Amar Prem remains a special choice owing to its story and evergreen songs that still find a place in the gatherings. The character of Anand Babu had been written for the ages. Today we might not be able to imagine this character with any other actor but did you know that Khanna was not the preliminary choice? Amar Prem a Shakti Samantha directorial starred Sharmila Tagore opposite Rajesh Khanna. Khanna was an emerging star back then and Tagore had return to work after giving birth to her first child Saif Ali Khan. This film was a remake of Bengali movie Nishi Padma Rajesh Khanna Was Not First Choice For Amar Prem Shakti Samantha had approached Raaj Kumar first for the role of Anand Babu. But Kumar had asked for a huge sum as fees which the filmmakers were unable to afford. The film itself reportedly did not have a massive budget to spend. According to a report by IMDb as soon as Rajesh Khanna heard the news that the director had approached someone else he rushed to his office. The director and actor duo had given superhits like Aradhana (1969) and Kati Patang (1970). When Samantha asked Khanna for dates from his busy schedule he immediately agreed to make time. Rajesh Khanna was emerging with back to back hits while Raaj Kumar was already established and known to possess certain level of arrogance. Despite his popularity sometimes actors were hesitant about working with him due to his rude unpredictable temper. During the premier of Amar Prem makers invited Raaj Kumar who probably held a grudge against them and the actor they had cast. According to a report by News18 Hindi Kumar taunted Khanna saying that Mere feka hue tukkdhe khakar kutte bhi bulldog banjate hai.... Khanna was left speechless just like others. Amar Prem went to be a blockbuster with dialogue like Pushpa I hate tears being a pop culture reference till date. From storyline performance dialogues to the songs every thing was well appreciated far and wide.