Sooraj Barjatya recalls first meeting with 'short guy' Salman Khan before Maine Pyar Kiya: 'He didn't look hero at all'

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya recalled his first meeting with Salman Khan before Maine Pyar Kiya and his first impression of the actor is surprisingly very different from what we have seen. Sooraj, in an interview with Mid-Day, said that his first guise of Salman was of a 'short guy' who doesn't look like a hero. Sooraj said that when he first heard of Salman, he thought why would 'Salim Saab's son work with us?' 

The director further said that even Salman wasn't interested in leading Maine Pyar Kiya, and he came to reject the film because he didn't want to play a saintly hero, which is mostly the image of Rajshri's heroes. Sooraj said, "He was such a short guy, and didn’t look like a hero at all. But when I saw his photos, he was outstanding. That is the power of camera presence.” Barjatya further said that when he started narrating MPK, Salman agreed to the film by the end of the first half, "By the time, we got to the interval point, we shook hands, and decided to do the film. But then, we faced a bigger issue.”

The Vivah director shared the challenges he faced with Salman during the tests and said that the actor didn't have a captivating voice, "Not sure if it was my fault or his, but there was no throw in his voice. We then moved to dance sequences, got in Farah Khan for the rehearsals, and somehow, it was all going wrong, and he wasn’t dancing well either. But then when I put him in a chair and handed him a guitar, he just nodded a bit on the camera, and I knew it. His face, his style, his romance… everything was on point… but he wasn’t able to talk.” After Sooraj was prepared to roll the romantic drama, he got to know that Salman was making his debut in a supporting role in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi. 

After a point, Salman lost interest in Maine Pyar Kiya, and he started suggesting other actors to Sooraj. The filmmaker asserted, "For six months, Salman sent other people, and asked me to launch them instead of himself. I visited him during a shoot just to say that I have to move on from him, but even there, he had a couple of people lined up and wanted me to choose them for Maine Pyar Kiya.”Sooraj said that Khan's genuineness made him stick with him. He shared, “How to tell a ‘No’ to this person. Credit goes to his personality, and how he has always been truthful. He always believed that the film was more important, and it is still there today." 

Sooraj concluded that even now when he wants to make a film with another actor, Salman supports him and even expresses his interest in doing a guest appearance. For the unversed, after Maine Pyar Kiya, the two collaborated in Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. 

Also read: Exclusive | Salman Khan won't be playing lead in Sooraj Barjatya's next, but who would be the new Prem!