Barsaat Director On Keeping Priyanka Chopra As Lead After Akshay Kumar Quit: 'Shaadishuda Aadmiyon Ko…'
Suneel Darshan explains Akshay Kumar's sudden exit from Barsaat and why Priyanka Chopra stayed on.
Behind every Bollywood hit, there are stories that fans never hear about. One such story is why Akshay Kumar suddenly left the 2005 film Barsaat. Filmmaker Suneel Darshan, known for his successful films with Akshay in the early 2000s, has now opened up about the real reasons behind the actor's unexpected exit and why Priyanka Chopra stayed on as the lead actress.
Darshan revealed that Akshay was going through serious personal issues at the time. 'There was a lot of turbulence in his personal life," he said. The film's shoot had actually started with both Akshay and Priyanka, and Darshan confirmed this saying, 'Ab toh gaana YouTube pe hai. Maine Akshay aur Priyanka ka shoot… woh film shoot hui thi, I know. Haan, woh shoot hui thi film." However, the situation changed when Akshay approached him with a difficult request. 'Usne mujhe poocha ki, 'Bhai, agar yeh mere bina ho sake, personal issues ki wajah se…' Toh main toh yeh maanta hoon ki actors ko bahot responsible hona chahiye, aur shaadishuda aadmiyon ko toh aur bhi zyada responsible hona chahiye."
Despite the upheaval, Darshan made a conscious decision to keep Priyanka Chopra in the film. He explained, 'Yeh mera faisla tha, kyunki main chahta tha ki Priyanka Chopra ko us haadse ki responsibility ka onus na doon." He did not want the actress to carry the burden of the drama surrounding Akshay's exit. 'Aur main sochta tha, bhai, jiska mere se gehra sambandh tha — jitna bhi tha — woh toh Akshay hi kehta tha ki 'main tujhe apna kya samajhta hoon'… Woh toh us waqt shayad kisi tape mein mil bhi jaaye."
The turmoil went beyond just the film. Rumours of a relationship between Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra reportedly created tension in Akshay's marriage to Twinkle Khanna. Akshay and Priyanka, who were once a hit pair on screen with films like Andaaz and Aitraaz, stopped working together after this incident.
Over the years, Priyanka has rarely spoken about the situation. But during a recent promotion for her Hollywood film Heads of State, she made a brief, respectful mention of Akshay, showing she holds no grudges.
Suneel Darshan summed it up with a grounded view on the situation: 'Lekin kya hota hai, galti karna insaan ki fitrat hoti hai — aur producer ko maar khana uski taqdeer mein hota hai."
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