WHAT? Sooraj Barjatya Reveals Salman Khan Wanted To REJECT Maine Pyar Kiya Before Even Listening To The Script; Director Recalls Thinking, ‘Yeh Kya Hero Aise’

Salman Khan is one of the biggest superstars Bollywood has today, but did you know that he wanted to reject his debut film Maine Pyar Kiya before even listening to the film? In an interview with Pinkvilla, director Sooraj Barjatya went down memory lane and shared juicy details about his first meeting with the actor.

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

Talking about his underwhelming experience of meeting Salman Khan for the very first time, Barjatya shared that his height was one of the factors that didn’t make him a 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. ALSO READ: Sooraj Barjatya Had To Take ANXIETY MEDICATION Before Meeting Amitabh Bachchan; Director Reveals, ‘He Listens To Narrations Apalak, You Cannot Face The Gaze’

The filmmaker recalled the incident like it was yesterday, telling Pinkvilla, "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 went on to share that he was apprehensive about casting the Dabangg actor for the role of Prem. He shared, "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 to everyone’s surprise, Salman Khan readily agreed to do the role and had even told the director to not cast anyone else but him. For the unversed, released in 1989, Maine Pyar Kiya not only launched Salman Khan and Bhagyashree as actors, but it gave Sooraj Barjatya’s career as a filmmaker a head start. The romantic musical went on to become one of the biggest hits in Bollywood and is still loved by the fans. ALSO READ: Bigg Boss 16: Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif GROOVE To Tip Tip Barsa Paani Remake; Video Takes The Internet By Storm – WATCH

On the work front, Sooraj Barjatya will be making a comeback as a director with Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Parineeti Chopra starrer Uunchai. Salman Khan, who is currently hosting reality show Bigg Boss 16, will be seen in Tiger 3 and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.

Image Source: Twitter/Movies N Memories