Upasana Singh was the first choice for Suman’s role in Salman Khan’s blockbuster hit Maine Pyar Kiya.
Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) turned Salman Khan and Bhagyashree into stars. But do you guys know that there was another actress in contention to portray the iconic role of Suman.
Recently in a chat with Galatta India, Upasana Singh revealed that she was initially selected by director Sooraj Barjatya himself, only to be replaced later by Bhagyashree.
During her conversation with Galatta India, Upasana Singh recalled how simple her audition for Maine Pyaar Kiya had been with director Sooraj Barjatya.
She explained that at the time she was studying in Chandigarh, while her aunt lived in Chembur, and she often expressed her desire to become a heroine. Whenever she visited Mumbai, she would meet different directors and producers.
She went on to share that on one such visit she met Gupta ji, who managed Sooraj Barjatya’s work. He informed her that Rajshri Productions was making a film called Maine Pyaar Kiya and arranged for her to meet Sooraj Barjatya.
The actress mentioned that she told him about her theatre background and her interest in acting. According to her, Sooraj did not conduct a formal audition but simply asked her to deliver three or four dialogues. He seemed impressed and told Gupta ji that she was selected from his side.
But despite being shortlisted, she never received a call back after meeting Sooraj’s father, Raj Kumar Barjatya.
Years later, while working on Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon (2003), Raj Kumar Barjatya admitted in front of everyone that Upasana was the first choice for Maine Pyar Kiya.
According to Upasana, she was shocked and asked why she had been rejected. Raj Kumar Barjatya told her that it was because she was taller than Salman Khan. Upset by the explanation, she responded that even Sridevi was taller than him but had still worked with him, and accused him of trying to fool her.
Upasana said she avoided watching the film for a long time because it hurt too much.
“I felt I would have abused Bhagyashree if I went to see it. But she did really well and deserved the role. Still, I deserved it more. Salman knew about this,” she admitted in the interview.
Do you feel Upasana Singh would be done a better job in pulling off Suman? Let us know in the comment section below.
