Out of all the Sanjay Leela Bhansali films, we think Saawariya is almost criminally underrated. The 2007 film marked the debut of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor but it failed to deliver at the box office. However, not many people know that the Rockstar actor wasn’t the first choice for the film! It was another star kid who was supposed to make his debut with Saawariya but things got in the way.
In a recent interview, Prateik Babbar revealed that he was a contender for Ranbir’s part in Saawariya. The actor said, “I have a funny story. Mr Sanjay Leela Bhansali was calling my house when I was 18 years old, when I was in rehab, for Saawariya. I was too young, I was in rehab so it couldn’t have worked out. But my grandparents told me a few years later.”
The Dhobi Ghat star added that he had no qualms about missing the project as he has no plan to become an actor. Prateik shared, “I never wanted to be an actor. I just stumbled into it and it became my calling. Since both my folks were actors – and good actors. I wanted to be a rockstar at that time, far away from the world of acting. I wanted to grow my hair, wear eye make-up, face make-up and scream on stage. Before that, I wanted to be a cricketer.”
When Prateik Made His Bollywood Debut
In 2008, Prateik decided to make his to the film industry with Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and what an unconventional debut it was! The actor played the role of an adorable, long-haired, aloof and artsy young man named Amit. While Prateik had limited screen time, he did steal the show with his sarcastic dialogues and penetrating gaze. NGL, we still think ‘tera ghar, tere bums, baith‘ was an iconic dialogue from JTYJN and it needs much more hype.
We are glad that Prateik decided to work on his mental health before jumping into the film industry. Kudos to our favourite broody artist for taking his sweet time for his debut ‘coz that’s how we got Amit Mahant!
Feature Image Credit: Instagram
