Suneel Darshan introduced Priyanka Chopra in his film Barsaat opposite Lara Dutta and Akshay Kumar. While promoting his upcoming film, Andaaz 2, in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, the filmmaker revealed how he met PC for the first time and how she became the lead for Barsaat. He elaborated on how she wasn’t a conventional heroine like Kareena-Karisma Kapoor.
Suneel Darshan On Casting Priyanka Chopra In Barsaat
When asked how he decided to cast Priyanka Chopra opposite Lara Dutta in Barsaat, Suneel Darshan revealed, “She came to meet me with her secretary/manager, Prakash Jaju. Haan. So since I got a call from my accountant, you know, from the reception, asking me to come down, it was right here. And my cabin was upstairs. So I asked him to come in, and he said, ‘I’ve brought this girl along, I want to introduce you to her.’ I was looking at her and I said, ‘Oh… she’s not a conventional heroine.’ Woh conventional heroine nahi thi, woh ek alag si lagti thi. Hamari jo typical heroines hoti thi, Karisma, Kareena — unka ek alag look, ek alag approach hota tha.”
He added, “Yeh wheatish toh nahi kahunga… chocolate-ish thi, thodi darker tones mein thi. Toh maine socha, ‘Okay, guest hai.’ Phir Miss World jeeti. I said, ‘Chalo, baith ke baat toh karte hain.’ Kaam karein na karein, let’s at least talk, let’s try, let’s discover. What she showed instantly was respect. Maine use bithaya, do teen minute baat ki — mujhe uski awaaz bohot achhi lagi. Aur thoda aur jab conversation stretch hua, toh jo tareeka tha jismein woh aankhon se baat karti thi, she knew how to captivate you. That’s the word I’ll use: captivate. And within 15 minutes, I kept thinking, ‘Yeh kaunsi heroine ki tarah hogi?’ Then I said, ‘Oh… Rekha ji. Aane waale kal mein yeh Rekha ban sakti hai.’”
Concluding, the producer said, “And this really happened. You know, meri unit mein top to bottom sab log yeh hi soch rahe the, ‘Lara Dutta is the one.’ Lara Dutta was very good — very dignified, wonderful to work with also. But yeah, Priyanka was a different ball game altogether. According to me, as I told you, she is the icon for the new generations that came after. And that’s what makes it more and more challenging.”
About Barsaat
Barsaat is a 1995 Hindi-language romantic action film. It was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, featuring Bobby Deol in his first lead role and marking the acting debut of Twinkle Khanna.
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Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Suneel Darshan Reveals Why He Cast Bobby Deol In Barsaat Despite ‘Still-Unresolved’ Court Case With Sunny Deol; Admits, “He Called Me Saying…”
