Salman Khan’s first audition for ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ was rejected by Sooraj Barjatya

When a lean and absolutely raw Salman Khan arrived at Sooraj Barjatya's office for the first time, the master director was far from impressed. Read more.

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It may come as surprise to know that Sooraj Barjatya was not quite impressed with Salman Khan’s first audition and infact ended up rejecting it. “It is the second audition that we liked and we finalised him,” he said.

When a lean and absolutely raw Salman Khan arrived at Sooraj Barjatya’s office for the first time, the master director was far from impressed. In Sooraj’s own words, Salman looked ‘small’ to him. But it is his portfolio pictures that impressed him.

Revealed Sooraj, “When he first came to my office, I remember he was sitting at the reception and he looked very small and I was thinking, ‘So he is Salim saab’s son. And then he came and sat in front if me and showed me his photographs. Those photographs spoke a different story. Those eyes, jawline… it was world apart. And then we decided to do a screen test with him.”

Watch Salman Khan’s First Screen Test From Maine Pyaar Kiya, December 1987:

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It may come as surprise to know that Sooraj Barjatya was not quite impressed with Salman’s first audition and infact ended up rejecting it. “It is the second audition that we liked and we finalised him,” he said.

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However, Salman Khan had to wait for an agonising period of four months before Sooraj finally took the second audition and finalised him. Salman himself said that he was sure he had aced the first audition. But that was not to be. Sooraj himself decided on a few options like Deepak Tijori but couldn’t finalise anyone.

Interestingly, Salman, on learning that Sooraj was looking out for other options, started suggesting names of actors to Sooraj, a trait that impressed the latter to no end.

Finally, after the second audition, Sooraj visited Salman on the sets of ‘Biwi Ho Toh Aisi’ where too Salman, on hugging Sooraj, suggested someone else’s name. That is when Sooraj decided to finalise Salman and “Prem” was born.

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