Piyush Mishra was in negotiations with Rajshri Films to portray Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)’s starring role of Prem, before Salman Khan took over,
Actor Piyush Mishra was initially approached for the character of Prem in Sooraj Barjatya’s 1989 directorial debut Maine Pyar Kiya, which catapulted Salman Khan into stardom. Rajshri Films was considering him for the role while he was in his third year of studies at the Film & Television Institute of India. Piyush Mishra now clarified his reasons for being relieved that he decided against doing it in an interview.
“It wasn’t like I scored that role or became famous. It was a preliminary conversation, and Raj Kumar Barjatya, the father of Sooraj Barjatya, gave me the most consideration. He had come to meet me, but he didn’t characterise me as such. This occurred when I was in my third year of college. I don’t know why it was exaggerated, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal that I was about to become famous but couldn’t,” Piyush remarked.
Piyush Mishra went on to say that many people in his immediate vicinity had urged him to take advantage of the situation in order to gain attention and play the victim. “They wanted me to say that I was robbed of the role. However, that is untrue. After then, I continued to work a lot. In the unlikely event that I had been given the chance, I would have taken advantage of it too soon, possibly without being emotionally, psychologically, or physically prepared. When I was 26 years old, I was unable to manage the success. Mera dimaag ud jaata (I would have lost my mind). That type of stardom is beyond my capabilities, and I accept that. I was unprepared for it.”
With support from Rajshri Films, Maine Pyar Kiya was Salman Khan and Bhagyashree‘s breakthrough film. The film’s lead actors became overnight celebrities and was a major box office triumph. Piyush Mishra, meantime, continued to work on films such Tamasha, Pink, Gangs of Wasseypur, Gulaal, Dil Se, and Maqbool. Next up for him is Indian 2.
