Bijay Anand, in a new interview, shared that Ajay Devgn-Kajol starrer Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha was the reason why he quit the film industry for 17 years before he made his comeback with Siya Ke Ram.
Remember Bijay Anand? The actor who essayed the role of Sanjana (Kajol)’s boyfriend Rahul Bajaj in Anees Bazmee’s 1998 musical blockbuster Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha. Recently, when the film clocked 25 years, the actor made a shocking revelation that he quit Bollywood for 17 years because of this movie.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Bijay shared that when he watched Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, he realised that the makers dubbed his voice with some other voice which sounded very ‘weak and quiet’.
The actor recalled, “It was very embarrassing as my voice is not like that. When I heard that, I was so hurt that this is how this industry works. I felt like I didn’t want to be a part of this industry, after which I quit the acting industry for 17 years.”
He shared that he doesn’t watch his own film as h feels embarrassed about the whole episode and added that he has watched Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha only once in life. Bijay said that he would turn off the TV every time that film played on TV as he felt embarrassed by his voice in that film.
Further, Bijay told the publication that he never felt like a part of the industry even before he quit films post Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha. “I didn’t have any nepotism background. I was an outsider and on the right track, but dubbing my voice just so that the hero (Ajay Devgn) looks better than I do or whatever the reason they had, left me shocked,” the publication quoted him as saying.
On being asked if he ever expressed this issue to the director or his co-stars, the actor said, “I am revealing this for the first time. They dubbed a weak and squeaky voice without even asking me. It made my character look like an idiot, and I was shattered. I was genuinely shocked and I don’t know even if I’ll ever recover from that shock. I even turned down very big roles at that time”.
After narrating his sour experience, Bijay clarified that he doesn’t hold a grudge against anyone now and has moved on. He made his acting comeback in 2015 with the show Siya Ke Ram and featured in films like Shershaah, Dybbuk and IB 71.
