Prosenjit Chatterjee Birthday Special: Not Salman Khan But This Bengali Superstar Was The First Choice For Maine Pyar Kiya!
Prosenjit Chatterjee is the biggest name in Bengali Cinema, almost as big as the late Uttam Kumar. But did you know he was the first choice for Maine Pyar Kiya that made Salman Khan as overnight star? Now you do!
Prosenjit Chatterjee is the biggest superstar of Bengali Cinema, perhaps after the inimitable and affable Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. He is credited for keeping the Bengali film industry alive when it was down and almost out. At a time when cinemas were running dry in Bengal, his movies brought people to the theatres. So you can imagine how much the man is revered in Indian cinema. Resurrecting an ailing industry all by himself isn't an easy task but Prosenjit Chatterjee made it seem like a cakewalk. Now, this doesn't mean Bollywood didn't vie for his attention. The actor was however clear that Hindi cinema was not something he was interested in. He was and still is one of the topmost actors in Bengali cinema and he wants to keep it that way. Prosenjit Chatterjee Feels Commercial Cinema Has to Earn Money at the Box Office to Support Arthouse Fare
But when Bollywood wanted to have him in its midst, Prosenjit Chatterjee was offered some good movies. Maine Pyar Kiya was one of them. Yes, the superstar was officially selected for the film but he couldn't do it. Speaking to me back in 2016 when the Hindi remake of Traffic had released, Chatterjee revealed, "I was selected officially for Maine Pyaar Kiya. Salman wasn't even there. He wasn't serious about acting then. He was more into the technical side. They got the print of Amar Shongi to Mumbai. They watched the film and invited me here. I was here for 6-7 days and gave auditions as well. Fortunately or unfortunately, I couldn't do the film."
We all know what Maine Pyar Kiya did for Salman Khan. He became an overnight sensation and that man is still ruling the charts. Apparently, Chatterjee also rejected Saajan which showed a very different side of Salman's acting.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2020 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).