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Parmeet Sethi reveals Aditya Chopra refused to cast him as DDLJ bad guy: ‘You give very good vibes, I want someone…’

Parmeet Sethi revealed that although Aditya Chopra had initially finalised another actor for Kuljeet Singh's role in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, he insisted on auditioning for the part and ultimately won it.

Parmeet Sethi opens up on bagging role Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Apart from Raj and Simran, Aditya Chopra‘s directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge gave audiences a host of iconic characters, including Parmeet Sethi’s portrayal of the negative character Kuljeet Singh. In a recent interaction, Parmeet revealed that although Aditya Chopra had initially finalised another actor for the role, he insisted on auditioning for the part and ultimately won it. His wife, actor Archana Puran Singh, also shared how she helped him secure the role.

Speaking with comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their YouTube channel Bharti TV, Parmeet shared, “Somebody else had signed that role, but I wanted it. I couldn’t sleep at night thinking it was my role. After 15 days, I called Aditya and asked him for an audition.” Parmeet elaborated that Aditya was initially hesitant, stating that Parmeet gave off “very good vibes” due to his positive role in the popular television show Dastaan.

Parmeet explained that in DDLJ, Kuljeet Singh’s character doesn’t necessarily do anything outright wrong. “In fact, his fiancée is taken away by Raj (Shah Rukh Khan). So, to play this role, Aditya needed someone who really looked like a villain to make it convincing for the audience,” he said.

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Archana Puran Singh shared how she helped Parmeet crack the audition, saying, “I am from Delhi, and he is this sophisticated man from Mumbai. I know how those chauvinist men talk about women, so I taught him some slangs and mannerisms to capture how they tease women.”

Also read | Shyam Benegal, the force behind India’s parallel cinema movement, dies at 90

Recalling how Aditya eventually confirmed him for the role, Parmeet said, “Aditya came and watched my audition. He didn’t speak for some time.” Archana added that Karan Johar, who was an assistant on the film, was also present in the room, handling the camera. Parmeet continued, “So both Aditya and Karan were present at my audition. Aditya was quiet for a while, then stood up and said, ‘You are my Kuljeet.'”

The actor went on to share how ecstatic he was after bagging the role. “I was so happy that when I got inside my car, I shouted loudly,” he recalled.

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