Priyanka was involved with Akshay, wife Twinkle left home
Collected Photo
Bollywood has long been abuzz with discussions about the on screen chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra and various rumors surrounding them. Filmmaker and producer Suniel Darshan has now spoken about that old chapter. He claimed that rumors about Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra’s closeness also affected Akshay’s family life. As a result, the male lead of Suniel Darshan’s film Barsaat was changed.
In an interview, Suniel Darshan said that the title song for the 2005 film Barsaat was shot with Priyanka Chopra and Akshay Kumar. After a break of several months due to other work, filming was supposed to resume. However, Akshay Kumar then requested that the shooting be postponed.
According to Suniel Darshan, he could not postpone the shoot because a 100-member shooting unit was already ready. At the same time, various rumors about Akshay and Priyanka were spreading. He claimed that the situation reached a point where the two could no longer be cast together.
Suniel said, “By then various rumors had spread in the market. We realized that Akshay and Priyanka could no longer be cast together. If they continued working together, it would have a serious impact on Akshay’s family.”
He further said, “A married man should be much more responsible. Priyanka was unmarried at the time. So, when I had to choose, I kept Priyanka in the film.”
Eventually, Bobby Deol was cast in place of Akshay Kumar. In another interview earlier, Suniel Darshan had made a more explosive claim about the rumors of a relationship between Akshay and Priyanka. He claimed that after the rumors spread, Akshay’s wife Twinkle Khanna left home at one point.
Suniel had said, “Twinkle herself was an actress and had a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the industry. So, she knew everything about what was going on.”
Speaking about Priyanka Chopra, Suniel also said that when she first visited his office during Andaaz, he was not very impressed initially. He even had some conditions regarding Priyanka’s nose surgery. However, the actress’s dedication to her work later impressed him.
According to Suniel, Priyanka practiced dancing and shot continuously from 7 am until midnight. She even suffered an injury to her leg. The director also described Priyanka as “a little mischievous and dramatic.”
It may be noted that Priyanka Chopra has established herself as an international star beyond Bollywood. She will next be seen in S. S. Rajamouli’s much discussed film Varanasi. She will star alongside Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran. As the old rumors and Suniel Darshan’s comments have resurfaced, discussions about the old Akshay and Priyanka chapter have also started again on social media.
Source: Aajkaal (Adapted)
