Say what! Sooraj Barjatya TURNED DOWN Salman Khan for Uunchai despite Prem connection

Bollywood filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya has almost always been associated with superstar Salman Khan. Salman in fact has gained popularity through some of Sooraj’s films. He played the character of Prem in all of the movies they were associated with. However, Sooraj’s latest film doesn’t have Salman despite a Prem connection.

At the trailer launch of Uunchai, Sooraj revealed that he was the one who rejected Salman. This happened despite a minor Prem connection in the film. At the same event, Anupam Kher revealed that his character is nicknamed Prem.

Uunchai is about three friends above the age of 60 who plan a trek to Mount Everest. They are supposed to never have climbed a hill, let alone a mountain, before.

Salman was well aware about the film and wanted to be a part of it. “I can do this,” he told Sooraj but the filmmaker decided against it because he wanted to show people who could not climb hills. Thus, Salman is not associated with Uunchai despite the duo’s collaboration almost always being a hit.

Salman and Sooraj have worked together on Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hai Koun, Hum Saath-Saath Hai and Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo, all of which have worked well at the Box Office. All the films saw Salman play the character of Prem. In fact, the first three films made Prem as popular as Shah Rukh Khan’s Rahul.

Sooraj has, in fact, let go of the name Prem post pandemic. At the launch, he said that he has stopped thinking that there is a charm in the character name Prem which helps a film succeed. “In the pandemic, everything was slipping away, so there was no point holding onto anything,” he said.

Uunchai stars Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani in the lead roles. Also featuring Neena Gupta, Sarika, Parineeti Chopra, Nafisa Ali and Danny Denzongpa, this film will release in theatres on November 11.