Not Salman Khan but this actor was Sooraj Barjatya’s first choice for love in Maine Pyar Kiya
Salman Khan is all set to make a strong comeback on the big screen with the eagerly awaited Tiger 3. The famous Bollywood action star started his film journey as a romantic hero in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya. Interestingly, Salman was not the first choice for this film. This blockbuster was originally pitched to multi-talented actor, singer, lyricist, composer and screenwriter, Piyush Mishra.{1}
Maine Pyar Kiya
Piyush Mishra was the first choice for Salman Khan’s role in Maine Pyar Kiya.
In an interview with Lallantop, Piyush Mishra revealed an interesting story from his past. He told that he was in his final year at the National School of Drama (NSD) when Sooraj Barjatya’s father Rajkumar Barjatya approached him for a meeting at the Rajshri office in Prabhaldevi, Mumbai.
Mishra humorously referred to it as a beautiful accident and shared, “My director (of NSD) called me to his room. Now, I was very handsome in my time. When I went to the chamber, I met Rajkumar Barjatya. He said that they are making a film named ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, they have shortlisted the girl and now they have come to NSD to look for the lead character.
Piyush also revealed that he had initially agreed to meet, but did not follow through. At that time there was some bitterness in his mind towards the world for some reasons. After three years he finally reached there and came to know that Salman Khan had become a star with this film. Piyush described this development as remarkable. He said that if he had gone back to that time, he probably wouldn’t have been able to do the kind of work that he ultimately did.
