Mukul Dev was thrown out of this film, was asked to return Rs 50000 signing amount, was replaced by star kid, movie became massive hit

Mukul Dev impressed the filmmakers and the audiences with his charming, striking looks in his debut film Dastak in 1996. However, the actor faced multiple struggles in his career and didn't land a breakthrough role that would make him a star. One film could have changed the trajectory of his career, but he was thrown out from the movie after he failed to reach the sets on time on the first day of the shoot. Mukul was cast opposite Preity Zinta in the 2000 romantic drama Kya Kehna, but was replaced by Saif Ali Khan at the last moment. The producer Ramesh Taurani even asked him to return the signing amount of Rs 50,000. Mukul Dev passed away on May 23 at the age of 54 after a brief illness.

Sharing details about Mukul's exit from Kya Kehna, Ramesh Taurani told News18 Showsha, "Actually, Saif wasn’t supposed to do Kya Kehna. An actor called Mukul Dev was going to do it, but he didn’t show up on set on the first day of the shoot. At around 11 am, someone from the production called him up to ask where he was, and he said that he was on his way. They called again at noon, and he said that he’s outside RK Studio, but he never showed up."

The producer further added, "Our sets were ready, we had to start shooting. I decided to call Saif. I asked if he would be free to meet in the evening, and he said that he would. That’s when I was told that Mukul Dev had come by to the office. I said that I don’t have any interest in speaking to him, and that he should go back home. But he waited outside. When we were leaving to meet Saif, I spoke to him."

After waiting for hours outside Ramesh Taurani's office, Mukul Dev was finally let in and was told that he was no longer a part of Kya Kehna, and would have to return the signing amount of Rs 50,000 as he had broken their trust. Also starring Chandrachur Singh, Anupam Kher, and Farida Jalal in the leading roles, the Kundan Shah directorial became a massive hit at the box office.

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