And here's a new piece of trivia that has been dug up on B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat, that we bet you did not know about. First, it was about how Juhi Chawla was offered Draupadi's role but she turned it down for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, then it was about how Jackie Shroff was approached to play the role of Arjun and now it's about the show's Duryodhan Puneet Issar. No, a Bollywood celebrity was not approached to play Duryodhan, but Puneet himself, who turned down the role of Pandava Bheem to play the bad brother in Mahabharat. Mahabharat: 'Arjun', Actor Firoz Khan Recounts Why He Took His Character's Name IRL After Replacing Jackie Shroff as the First Choice for the Role.

Recalling the Mahabharat audition, Puneet told India Today in an interview that he had had his mind made up and set on playing the antagonist Duyodhan, a fact that Puneet had conveyed to the makers beforehand. "When I went to BR Chopra for the audition, after looking at my personality, he said ‘You are taken as Bheem’. I said ‘No sir, I have read the Mahabharat and I would like to audition for only Duryodhana’s character. He said, ‘Kamaal hai. Hum tumhe hero bana rahe hai aur tum villain banna chaah rahe ho.’ I told him that I know what is the importance of Duryodhana’s character in Mahabharat," recalled Puneet. Mukesh Khanna Has THIS Memorabilia From Mahabharat Sets And Its Quite an Epic One (Deets Inside).

He went on, "I had read this book called Jayadrath Vadh. It is maha-kavya by Maithli Sharan Gupt. It's in poetry form and I knew it by heart. I recited Jayadrath Vadh and was immediately chosen to play Duryodhan. That’s how I got the role."

And when quizzed on his decision to go for a baddie's role, Puneet divulged, "I had read Urubhangam, written by Mahakavi Bhaas, which depicts Mahabharat from Duryodhana’s point of view. So, I knew the character’s depth. Maybe, Bheem was an equally popular and a positive character but I knew with Duryodhana’s character I would be able to do justice." Mahabharat Returns to TV: Nitish Bharadwaj, Puneet Issar And Other Cast Members Recall What They Learnt While Shooting For the Mythological Show.

Proud of being a part of Mahabharat and of all that the B.R.Chopra show achieved during its maiden run, Puneet went on to tell the portal, "Ramayan initially was very good but after some time, Mahabharat peaked over it. I think Mahabharat has reached the 40th or 50th episode, in another five episodes, Mahabharat will overtake Ramayan. It is going to be on a different level altogether." Mahabharat Trivia: Did You Know That Juhi Chawla Was Roped In To Play Draupadi, But She Chose This Movie Instead?.

"The way it was written, the performances, the characters, the direction - BR Chopra made such a great team. The way the - Rahi Masoom Raza and Pandit Narendra Sharma - wrote it, and we performed it. It was perfect casting. The actors were signed in 1986 and we started shooting in mid-1988." Puneet also added that the actors got a two-and-a-half-year window to prepare physically and mentally for the mythological show. "I had read all possible books in the world pertaining to Mahabharat to understand the psyche of the character and to perform it better. If the content is written and performed well, the product speaks for itself."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2020 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).