30 years of Maine Pyar Kiya: Bhagyashree thanks Salman Khan and fans for the love, check out 7 lesser known facts

Bollywood actor Bhagyashree’s debut film Maine Pyar Kiya, that was also Salman Khan’s first film as the lead star, has completed 30 years of its release. Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, the film traced Salman and Bhagyashree’s love story hindered by family dispute and financial differences.

Here are some of the least known facts about the film:

1) Before Salman bagged the role of Prem, Vindoo Dara Singh, Deepak Tijori and Piyush Mishra were among the few who auditioned for the role. Salman was even rejected by the film’s director Sooraj Barjatya after his first audition, who thought that Salman looked “small”. “When he first came to my office, I remember he was sitting at the reception and he looked very small. It (was) the second audition that we liked and we finalised him,” Sooraj had said.

2) The white pigeon that played cupid between Salman’s Prem and Bhagyashree‘s Suman as it delivered love letters in the iconic song Kabootar Jaa, was called ‘Handsome’.

3) The film’s popularity was such that it was dubbed in English (When Love Calls) and Spanish (Te Amo). It was a huge hit in the Caribbean and dominated the box-office that year in Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. The film saw a 10-week run in Lima, Peru.

4) Maine Pyar Kiya was the biggest blockbuster in 1999 but Salman has revealed that he couldn’t find work for an entire year. According to reports, Salman’s father, writer Salim Khan posted an advertisement in newspaper about his son’s acting capabilities, after which Salman started getting movie offers.

5) One of the many iconic characters from the film was that essayed by Nutan’s son Mohnish Behl. However, she wasn’t very happy with her son playing the role of the villain. According to several reports, Nutan had even asked the makers to cast Mohnish in a different role. The makers, however, assured Nutan that Behl’s role will be remembered for a long time.

6) Director Sooraj reportedly took three months to finalise the antakshari songs where Suman confesses her love for Prem in the movie.

7) Maine Pyar Kiya was reportedly the first Bollywood film to have its own customised merchandise.

On Monday, Bhagyashree shared a video thanking fans for all the love she has received. In the video, Bhagyashree looks gorgeous as she stands in an orange sari and says, “30 saal ho gae Maine Pyar Kiya ko aur abhi tak, aapke dilo me basi hun, iske liye bahut bahut shukraguzaar hun. Yunhi Pyaar karte rahiye. Maine Pyaar kiya, aap sab se.”

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She wrote along with the video, “30 years of MAINE PYAAR KIYA! Thank you for all the love bestowed, the blessings, the respect and the adulation. Of course it would be impossible without @beingsalmankhan & #soorajbarjatya #mainepyaarkiya is today..a love that resides in all your hearts. #30YearsOfMainePyarKiya.”

Bhagyashree’s son and actor Abhimanyu Dassani also paid tribute to the film in a unique style - he recreated one if the iconic scenes from the movie with his Nikamma co-star Sherly Setia. “#30YearsOfMainePyarKiya The Golden rule of Friendship taught to us by the previous generation of romantics, recreated by the next generation of #Nikammas,” he wrote along with the video. In the video, Abhimanyu and Shirley recreate the scene where Prem gifts his cap with the words ‘FRIEND’ and tells him, “Dosti ka ek usool hai madam, no sorry no thank you.”

Fans shared their favourite moments from the film. “Laxmikanth Berde, had also made his debut with the film. After the success of MPK, Laxmikanth went on to become one of the best comedians of ‘90s. Comedians, Dilip Joshi (Jethalaal) also feature as cameos in the film.#30YearsOfMainePyarKiya @rajshri #SalmanKhan,” one fan wrote.

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