Famous director Sooraj Barjatya is working on a new movie with superstar Salman Khan. He said the film will be officially announced in November and will be a family drama and love story, just like the ones
he is known for.
Salman Khan-Sooraj Barjatya team up
In a recent interview with India Today, Sooraj Barjatya revealed, ““Thoda waqt hai (There’s still time to that film). We are working on the story of the film with Salman bhai. But we will also have to have an age-appropriate script for the same. We will be announcing the film soon, probably in November. It features established actors, but we cannot talk much about it. It’s a family drama and a love story, a world that we present strongly in our films. I do feel responsible towards giving our audiences the stories that we believe and celebrate.”
Earlier, in an interview with Times Now, Barjatya had talked about the challenge of writing the story to fit Salman Khan’s current age and style. “It will not be a new avatar for him because with me, Salman Bhai, we always want to bring back the simplicity, the extended family, and the happiness… chhoti chhoti cheezon mein khushi (happiness in little things). But mujhe thoda waqt lagega [it will take time] because now we have to write for Salman bhai something that suits his age. That is a big challenge for me as a writer and as a director because we want him to be the same masti, same fun, but uss umar mein [according to his age]. It’s going to take me a little more time.”
Revealing about the storyline, the filmmaker mentioned that the story revolves around a boy and a girl coming from a small town and trying to find their own identity. “It’s a pure love story,” he shared.
Previous collaborations
This will mark Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya’s first film together since the 2015 release of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, which also starred Sonam Kapoor. They have also worked together in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).
A bit of nostalgia…
Salman Khan debuted in Sooraj Barjatya’s 1989 film Maine Pyar Kiya, which was also Barjatya’s first movie as a director. Initially, Sooraj was hesitant to cast Salman, as the actor didn’t make a strong impression when they first met. But that changed once Salman stepped in front of the camera.
Recalling his first impression of Salman, Sooraj told Mid Day, “He was such a short guy, and didn’t look like a hero at all. But when I saw his photos, he was outstanding. That is the power of camera presence.” Sooraj revealed that Salman had met him with the intention of rejecting the film but “by the time, we got to the interval point, we shook hands, and decided to do the film”.
However, there were still hurdles to be overcome. The first one was Salman’s look test. “Not sure if it was my fault or his, but there was no throw in his voice. We then moved to dance sequences, got in Farah Khan for the rehearsals, and somehow, it was all going wrong, and he wasn’t dancing well either. But then when I put him in a chair and handed him a guitar, he just nodded a bit on the camera, and I knew it. His face, his style, his romance… everything was on point… but he wasn’t able to talk,” said Sooraj.
The next hurdle was that Salman was making his debut with Biwi Ho To Aisi in a supporting role. “For six months, Salman sent other people and asked me to launch them instead of himself. In fact, I visited him during a shoot just to say that I have to move on from him, but even there, he had a couple of people lined up and wanted me to choose them for Maine Pyar Kiya… How to tell a ‘No’ to this person. Credit goes to his personality, and how he has always been truthful. He always believed that the film was more important, and it is still there today. Even now, if I want to make a film with someone else, he’d be supportive, and even ask if I needed him to do a guest appearance,” Sooraj said.
