Indian film and TV actor Upasana Singh, of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, revealed she was replaced with Bhagyashree in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, for being taller than main lead Salman Khan.
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In an interview with Indian YouTuber Siddharth Kannan, Upasana Singh, known best for her comic roles in the Bollywood film ‘Judaai’ and her appearance as Bua in ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, revealed that she auditioned for the role of Suman when she arrived in Mumbai and was assured by filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya about her selection.
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However, when she later met his father, Raj Kumar Barjatya, he did not approve of her for the lead role and she was not called back. “He told me everything about the film, my role, and said I was okay from his side but asked me to just come and meet his father,” she recalled.
She remembered meeting Raj Kumar years later, when she was in the cast of ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’, and he acknowledged in front of the lead stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, that Singh was their first choice for the role of Suman, but lost out on the opportunity to Bhagyashree due to her height.
“He said, ‘I’m not making an excuse, but you were taller than Salman. That’s why we didn’t cast you,'” she shared. “They say this, but how am I taller than Salman? My height is 5’7 and even Sridevi ji was the same height but still worked with Salman. Yet, they wanted someone shorter than Salman in the movie, and apparently, they are not lying.”
Singh concluded on a light-hearted note saying, “So Salman Khan is the reason why I missed out on Maine Pyaar Kiya.”
Also Read: Bhagyashree recalls Salman Khan’s ‘flirting’ on ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ set
‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, the cult romance flick by Barjatya, starring Salman Khan in his breakthrough performance opposite debutante Bhagyashree, was released in December 1989 and turned out to be a huge box office success.
