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Priyanka Chopra was just beginning her career in the Hindi film industry when she met filmmaker Suneel Darshan for a role in his film Andaaz. In a recent interaction, Suneel revealed how he was initially “shocked” when he saw Priyanka for the first time, as she didn’t fit the conventional beauty standards. However, her confidence and captivating voice convinced him to cast her in Andaaz.
Speaking on a YouTube channel, Suneel recalled, “For Andaaz, I wanted something fresh. I had already thought of casting Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta for the lead roles. After finalizing them, I was looking for someone to play a slightly smaller role than Lara’s. Many girls auditioned, and one day, a secretary brought Priyanka to meet me. When I first saw her, I was shocked because she wasn’t a conventional beauty. We spoke for about 15 minutes. Her voice was so zabardast (powerful), and her eyes were so khatarnak (dangerous). I decided within those 15 minutes to cast her and told her that one day she would have a stature similar to that of Rekha.”
Andaaz was Priyanka’s second Hindi film, released in 2003 after her debut in Sunny Deol’s The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. Starring Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta alongside Priyanka, the film was a box-office success, grossing ₹288 million against a budget of ₹80 million. Andaaz also sparked a successful on-screen pairing between Akshay and Priyanka, lasting for four films. They were set to work together again in Suneel’s 2005 film Barsaat, but Akshay walked out of the project after rumors of an affair between him and Priyanka began circulating, which impacted his marriage with Twinkle Khanna.
In the same interview, Suneel shared, , “Kuch blunder aise ho chuke thay (He did some blunders). Some rumours about Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar started doing the rounds and Twinkle had left his home. As an actor you have to be responsible. If your wife has been an actress, she knows everything about the industry and she has also worked with all the big stars. She knew everything
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