MUMBAI : Bollywood megastar Salman Khan has made a mark in the Indian film industry. He is loved far and wide for his signature dialogues, looks, and charisma. Did you know that the star initially wanted to turn down his debut film Maine Pyar Kiya, before even reading the script or hearing what it was about? In a recent interview with a news portal, director Sooraj Barjatya reminisced about his first meeting and impression of Salman Khan.

During the interview, he shared that even though he had no experience in writing or directing, his father had asked him to make a film. A film that retained the essence of Bollywood, but also showcased the youthfulness of Hollywood, like Grease and Saturday Night Fever. While casting for the movie, they wanted new faces. Actors who had no prior baggage or an image that they wanted to uphold.

Talking about his disappointing experience meeting Salman Khan for the first time, Sooraj said that his height was one of the factors that didn’t make him hero material. On top of that, Salman had already decided not to do the movie since he didn’t want to wear a dhoti. Before Maine Pyar Kiya, no actor from Rajshree Productions movies had ever worn modern clothes.

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The filmmaker recollected the incident like it was yesterday, "First, we thought why would Salim Khan’s son would want to work with us, so I sent a message, and he came. And when he came, he wasn’t looking at all like… Bohot chhote se, bahar reception pe baithe (He was small in stature, was sitting at the reception)… I said, yeh kya hero aise (What kind of hero is this)… He gave me his photographs, and the photos were magical. And he came with the apprehension that ‘main toh mana kar dunga, mujhe dhoti wohti pehna denge (They’ll make me wear rustic outfits)’"

He further added that he was uncertain about casting the actor for the role of Prem. He said, "Toh main suna raha hoon with apprehension, ke yeh bohot chhota sa… Height bhi chhoti thi unki (I was narrating the story to him apprehensively, thinking that he is such a short guy), and he’s thinking that he wants to turn it down."

But surprisingly, Salman Khan cheerfully agreed to do the role, and even told the director to not cast anyone else but him. For the unversed, Maine Pyar Kiya released in 1989, and it didn’t just launch Salman Khan and Bhagyashree as actors, but it also gave Sooraj Barjatya’s career as a filmmaker a head start. The romantic musical later became one of the biggest hits in Bollywood and is still loved by fans.

Workwise, Sooraj Barjatya will be making his directorial comeback with Uunchai. It will star Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Parineeti Chopra. Salman Khan is currently hosting the reality show Bigg Boss 16, and will be seen in Tiger 3 and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.

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Credits : SpotboyE

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