Sooraj Barjatya Reveals “No Actor Wanted To Work” With Him When He Wrote Maine Pyar Kiya

New Delhi:

Sooraj Barjatya, identified for movies like Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Saath Sath Hai, Hum Apke Hai Kaun and Vivah amongst others, just lately revealed that no actor wished to work with him, when he wrote Maine Pyar Kiya and the way his father was unsure of his determination of changing into a director as he was an under-confident child, who sat alone in school. The filmmaker additionally revealed how he forged Salman Khan 5 months after rejecting him throughout his first display check.

Speaking to Humans Of Bombay, Sooraj Barjatya mentioned, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Vivah-you know what all my films have in common? Family! Because when I started out, Dad said, ‘Take inspiration from your life.’ And what I held closest was my family. Dad was a film distributor and producer; I wanted to do what he did.”<

He added, “But I was 17 when I noticed a person ‘directing’-he knew the correct camera angle and even what the set should look like. I was mesmerized and decided, ‘I’ll become a director, too.’ But Dad wasn’t sure-I was an under-confident kid. I’d sit alone in class, never partake in activities; my teachers didn’t even know my name! So Dad’s, ‘How will you manage?’ made sense.”

However, Sooraj Barjatya, an “under-confident” child then knew what he wished to do. He mentioned, “But it was the 1st time I’d felt strongly about something. My heart said, ‘Just take the plunge’ and so, instead of going to college, at 19, I began assisting Mahesh Bhatt on Saransh. I started on 1st January, 1984-that new year brought along a ‘new’ Sooraj. And right from delivering scripts to the actors to helping with the set up, I did everything! After Saransh, I worked as an assistant on other films. Working with big directors made me want to do something of my own. And so, at 21, I began writing Maine Pyar Kiya. But let me tell you a fun fact-the 1st script got rejected & it took me 2 years to write a new one!”

Sooraj revealed how after he completed writing the script of Maine Pyar Kiya, no actor wished to work with him and the way he ended up casting Salman Khan, who he first had rejected after his first display check.

He mentioned, “But the journey was daunting-at Rajshri, our production house, our last few films were a flop and we were suffering financially. No actor wanted to work with us. And then one day, I met a young man who we’d rejected after his first screen test. But there was something about him. So, 5 months later, we got him on board. That man was Salman Khan. The script was ready and so was the cast, but there was no money. But we knew the film would work. So, Dad borrowed. The shoot began & we know what happened then-it became an iconic film!”

Sooraj Barjatya’s newest movie Uunchai, which too is predicated on friendship, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Parineeti Chopra, Neena Gupta and Sarika within the lead roles, launched in theaters on November 11.