Mumbai: Salman Khan and Bhagyashree’s on-screen chemistry in the love saga ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ won millions of hearts and left cash registers ringing at the box-office.
But Bhagyashree wasn’t the first choice for the film. It was actress Upasana Singh, whom filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya wanted to cast opposite Salman.
In a recent interview with Siddharth Kanan, Upasana shared that she had auditioned for the lead role in ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ opposite Salman and had even passed the first round.
However, Sooraj’s father Raj Kumar Barjatya dropped her because she was taller than Salman.
“He told me everything about the film, my role, and said I was okay from his side but asked me to just come and meet his father,” she revealed.
But after meeting Sooraj’s father, she didn’t get a confirmation call from the filmmakers.
Years later, during the shooting of ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon,’ Raj Kumar Barjatya admitted that Upasana was their first choice for Suman in ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya.’
Upasana further shared that actors Kareena Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan were present on the sets when the filmmaker acknowledged this.
Upasana went on to share that the filmmakers wanted someone shorter than Salman to create a perfect onscreen pair.
“He said, ‘I’m not making an excuse, but you were taller than Salman. That’s why we didn’t cast you. They say this, but how am I taller than Salman? My height is 5’7″ and even Sridevi ji was the same height but still worked with Salman. Yet, they wanted someone shorter than Salman in the movie, and apparently, they are not lying,” she said.
“So Salman Khan is the reason why I missed out on Maine Pyaar Kiya,” joked Upasana.
Upasana is a popular actress known for her roles in films like ‘Judaai’, ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, ‘Hulchul’, ‘Aitraaz’ and television shows like ‘Bani – Ishq Da Kalma’, ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’, and ‘Nadaniyaan’, among others.
