Sooraj Barjatya Opens On Making Madhuri Dixit Salman Khan's 'Bhabhi' In 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'

Sooraj Barjatya opened up on why he hesitated to cast Madhuri Dixit as Salman Khan's 'bhabi' in his hit movie, 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'.

Sooraj Barjatya favourite heroine was Madhuri Dixit and when he made Hum Saath Saath Hain, it became a hit. However, do you know the filmmaker was apprehensive about casting the Dhak Dhak girl as a 'bhabhi' opposite Salman Khan? The director shared that he wanted the actress in the movie but was unsure which role to give her.

Sooraj Barjatya shares he was not comfortable giving Madhuri Dixit a small role in Hum Saath Saath Hain

Hum Saath Saath Hain featured Salman Khan, Sonali Bendre, Mohnish Bahl, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Neelam Kothari, Alok Nath, and Tabu in pivotal roles. During an interview with Radio Nasha, the filmmaker narrated that he had approached many female actresses before finalising Madhuri. Even before Tabu was cast, Sooraj shared Madhuri had called him to show interest in the movie. Sooraj shared how he had explained her role and she was comfortable playing Salman's bhabhi. In his words:

"I told her ‘Madhuri, I am making a male dominated picture and if I cast you opposite Salman, then it is a very small role for you and if I cast you opposite Mohnish Bahl, then you will be playing bhabhi to Salman Khan. She is such a lovely lady, she said ‘it doesn’t matter, it is a joy to work together’. But then I said I will not be comfortable."

The film became a blockbuster when it was released, and even today, it is a favourite movie on TV. The story revolved around a joint family setup where human emotions were beautifully shown. The family drama movie is meant for all age groups. It shows how you live in a joint family when there are misunderstandings, nothing is perfect. Even today, every family functions like that so it is very identifiable.

Why Sooraj Barjatya had issues with Madhuri Dixit in the film?

Sooraj, going ahead in the interview, shared that in his earlier movie, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Salman and Madhuri played lead roles. The movie's success made them a famous on-screen pair, so Sooraj felt that the casting of the duo was tricky. This was because he wanted a star who did not have any prior relationship with Salman. Sooraj added:

"The whole debate was that Salman is a star so I had to cast someone who would be accepted as a bhabhi I so we cast Tabu, because Tabu came without any image."

When Madhuri Dixit addressed rumours of turning down, Hum Saath Saath Hain

During an earlier interview with Zoom, Madhuri opened up reports claiming that she had refused to do the 1999 movie, Hum Saath Saath Hain. This was because she had issues playing Salman and Saif Ali Khan's sister-in-law. Madhuri also shared that she was not the one who decided these things. There was a story floating around that she said no, rather the actress said the makers felt awkward to take her in the movie. She said it was Sooraj who was apprehensive of her role in the movie. Madhuri shared

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"I didn’t say no to Hum Saath-Saath Hain, but the makers felt it would look awkward if I played Salman’s bhabhi. When he comes and touches my feet and all that."

What do you think of Sooraj Barjatya's apprehensive thinking related to Madhuri Dixit's role in Hum Saath Saath Hain?

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