This Big B-town Star And Not Vivek Mushram Was First Choice for 1991 Film Saudagar

1991 creed Bollywood The film Saudagar is considered a milestone in Indian cinema. The Subhash Ghai directorial had a large ensemble cast and was known for reuniting two legends of Indian cinema, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar after years. Playing childhood friends turned youthful foes, both the legends gave their career best performances and the film was a huge critical and commercial success. Featuring other stalwarts of the industry such as Jackie Shroff, Mukesh Khanna, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri, Saudagar was also the debut film of Vivek Mushran and Manisha Koirala.

Both Vivek and Manisha became overnight stars after the film and although Manisha had a flourishing career as a leading Bollywood actress, Vivek Mushran could not make much headway with his cinematic career. Though he appeared in films like Seventh Aasmaan, Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai and Anjaane, he could not repeat the success of his first film. He soon embarked on a television career and starred in Star Plus’s Sonpari, Zee TV’s Kitty Party and Doordarshan’s Dil-e-Nadan.

However, did you know that Aamir Khan was the first choice for the role of Vivek Mushran in Saudagar? In an earlier interview, Subhash Ghai said that Aamir’s chocolaty boy looks fit the bill for Vasu’s character in the film and that he was approached for the film. However, Aamir, who had become a star by then after appearing in hits like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, felt that Vasu’s character in the film was very insignificant. Aamir declined the film and the role went to debutant Vivek Mushran. So Aamir’s rejection resulted in brief stardom for Vivek Mushran.

Saudagar depicts the feud between two families headed by patriarchs Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar, who used to be childhood friends. The film features the popular song ILU ILU (I Love You) which has become a part of popular culture over the years.

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