Bollywood classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) featured Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in the lead roles. The supporting cast included Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Satish Shah, Achala Sachdev, Anupam Kher, Himani Shivpuri and Parmeet Sethi. The film was a huge hit and continues to be hailed as a timeless classic.
Milind Gunaji, known for his roles in popular films and TV shows like Devdas, Virasat, LOC Kargil, Phir Hera Pheri, CID and Rudra, was almost cast in the iconic film. He recently shared that he was approached to play Kuljeet, the character whose marriage to Simran (played by Kajol) is arranged by her father Chaudhary Baldev Singh (Amrish Puri). However, Gunaji turned down the role offered by Aditya Chopra because he was unable to shave his beard, which was required for the role, due to his commitments to other film projects at the time.
In an interview with Rajshri Unplugged on YouTube, Milind Gunaji revealed that he had an opportunity to play the role that eventually went to Parmeet Sethi in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. He stated that the role required him to be clean-shaven, but due to his involvement in other films at the time, he was unable to fulfil that requirement.
Regrettably, he had to turn down the offer from such a prominent director, and he felt bad about it, especially after seeing the massive success of the film.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, directed by Aditya Chopra, continues to be shown at the Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai over 28 years after its release, making it the longest-running Bollywood film in theatres.
Milind Gunaji started his acting career in 1993 with the film Papeeha, but he caught the eye with his role as Inspector Indrajeet Saxena in Fareb in 1996. This performance was so convincing that it earned him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Negative Role. In 2009, he became the brand ambassador for NIBR College of Hotel Management, part of the Novel Institute Group.
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