28 years of Maine Pyar Kiya: Sooraj Barjatya had rejected Salman Khan after his first audition

As the Salman Khan-Bhagyashree starrer film, Maine Pyar Kiya, completes 28 years of its release today, we bring you some behind the scenes trivia you probably didn’t know.

Sooraj Barjatya’s film Maine Pyar Kiya, starring Salman Khan and Bhagyashree, marked the debut of two fantastic actors in lead roles, and was the top grossing film that year. The film was also one of the top grossing films in the 1980s, and is considered to be an iconic film in the same category as Kabhi Kabhi (1996) and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaenge (1995). As the film completes 28 years of its release today, we bring you facts about the film that you probably didn’t know

Maine Pyar Kiya completes 28 years of its release today

1) Salman Khan was not the first choice for Prem

Sooraj Barjatya rejected Salman Khan after his first audition and thought he looked “small”.

Before Salman Khan eventually got the role of Prem, a slew of new actors were considered and auditioned for the role. Vindoo Dara Singh, Deepak Tijori and Piyush Mishra are some of the names that were considered for the role, before Salman made it his own. In fact, he was rejected by the film’s director Sooraj Barjatya after his first audition, who thought that Salman looked “small”. “When he first came to my office, I remember he was sitting at the reception and he looked very small. It (was) the second audition that we liked and we finalised him,” Sooraj was quoted as saying.

2) Nutan wasn’t happy with villainous son

Nutan wasnt sure about Mohnish Behl’s role as a villain.

Actor Nutan wasn’t very happy with her son, Mohnish Behl, playing the role of the villain in the film. According to several reports, Nutan had even asked the makers if they could cast Mohnish in a different role, since he had done positive roles before the film. The makers, however, assured Nutan that Behl’s role will be remembered for a long time.

3) Despite film’s massive success, Salman couldn’t find work for a year

Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan had to put advertisements in the newspapers about his son’s acting prowess.

The film went on to become the biggest blockbuster that year, won numerous awards, and made Salman a star. However, in an interview with journalist Rajat Sharma, Salman Khan revealed that he couldn’t find work for an entire year. According to reports, Salman’s father, writer Salim Khan posted an advertisement in newspaper about his son’s acting capabilities, after which Salman started getting movie offers.

4) Love Transcends boundaries

The film was a big hit overseas.

The film was dubbed in English and titled When Love Calls and was a big hit overseas as well. In fact, the film was a big hit in the Caribbean and dominated the box-office that year in Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. The film was also dubbed and titled Te Amo in Spanish, and the film saw a 10-week run in Lima, Peru.

5) The ‘Handsome’ Kabootar

The pigeon played cupid in the film.

The white pigeon that played cupid between Prem (Salman) and Suman (Bhagyashree), delivering his love letters to her in the song Kabootar Jaa, was named ‘Handsome’.

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