Salman Khan said that Priyanka Chopra not only rang up the director, Ali Abbas Zafar but also got in touch with Salman's sister Arpita Khan to be part of the Bollywood movie Bharat.
For the first time, Salman Khan has spoken about Priyanka Chopra's exit from his movie Bharat. In a recent interview with Times Of India, Salman Khan was asked about the whole incident where Priyanka walked out of the project just in the nick of time.
Salman Khan said, he wasn't angry with her at all, but would have wished that she informed them beforehand.
"She (Priyanka) had a reason to do that. It's just that the project got stuck. Had we known earlier, we could have worked it out better. She was getting engaged and I told her, 'If you are getting engaged, what's the need (of exiting the project)?' Then she said, 'Shaadi karni hai (I am getting married)' to which I said 'Toh shaadi kar lo (So, get married)'. Priyanka's work was for 75-80 days. Shaadi ke liye chaar din ka preparation, aur chaar din ki shaadi, aath din ke andar ho gayi aur phir uske baad honeymoon (Four days of preparation for the marriage, which will last again for four days, and then honeymoon). So, we said we will work it out," Salman said.
He also added, "But she was very clear that she didn't want to be part of the film. It must have been very difficult for her to make this decision because she was very keen to work on this project. She called up Arpita (Khan Sharma) a thousand times, saying, 'I want to work with Salman'. She even called up Ali (Abbas Zafar, director) and told him, 'See if you can get me something in this film'."
Salman also made some assumptions on why she left Bharat. “Not doing this had to be because of the wedding or because she doesn’t want to work with me anymore. It could also be because she doesn’t want to work in humari (our) industry (Bollywood) or wants to work only in Hollywood. Whatever she wants to do, I wish her all the best in life. We are glad that she is engaged and happy,” Salman Khan said.
During an interview, the movie director Ali Abbas Zafar had said that Katrina Kaif had expressed her desire to work long back, and said that she would somehow make an appearance in the film. With Priyanka walking out of the film, she was the obvious choice for the makers of the project.
Meanwhile, Priyanka's engagement to American singer Nick Jonas was not said to be the only reason for her exit from the movie. According to reports, she has signed her fourth Hollywood film Cowboy Ninja Viking, in which she co-stars with Guardian Of The Galaxy's Chris Pratt.
Bharat is based on a Korean film An Ode to My Father. The movie features, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani and Tabu in important roles. It will be Salman’s Eid offering for 2019.
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