Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, May 25: Bollywood’s 2019 release Bharat may have won hearts with its emotional narrative and powerful performances, but what stirred the headlines even more was the casting shake-up involving Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Katrina Kaif. Now, a throwback to Salman Khan’s candid revelations about the incident is grabbing attention once again.

In an interview with Bombay Times, Salman Khan opened up about how Priyanka Chopra was eager to be part of Bharat. So much so, that she reportedly called Salman’s sister Arpita Khan Sharma “a thousand times”, expressing her strong desire to work on the film.

“She has called up Arpita a thousand times, saying, ‘I want to work with Salman’. She even reached out to the director Ali Abbas Zafar and told him, ‘See if you can get me something in this film’,” Salman recalled.

However, despite her strong interest, Priyanka suddenly backed out, citing her impending wedding with singer Nick Jonas. Salman claimed he was surprised by the exit, especially since the team was willing to adjust dates.

“She was getting engaged, and I told her, ‘If you're getting engaged, what’s the need to leave?’ Then she said, ‘Shaadi karni hai’, so I said, ‘Toh shaadi kar lo’,” Salman said, adding that her part involved around 75–80 days of shooting.

According to Salman, they even tried to accommodate her schedule:

“We said, four days for preparation, four for the wedding, and then back to work. We were ready to work it out. But she was very clear she didn’t want to do the film.”

While Priyanka’s team maintained the official reason was her wedding, Salman hinted there may have been other factors at play.

“It had to be either the wedding or maybe she didn’t want to work with me anymore, or maybe she wants to focus on Hollywood. Whatever it is, we’re happy for her and wish her the best,” he added.

Eventually, the film landed in the hands of Katrina Kaif, who delivered a widely praised performance as Kumud Raina. Interestingly, Salman shared that Katrina was actually the first choice of Bharat’s producers — Atul Agnihotri and Alvira Khan — but the director, Ali Abbas Zafar, leaned toward Priyanka because of their past collaboration.

Despite the casting drama, Bharat went on to become a box office success, and Katrina's portrayal earned her critical acclaim — proving that sometimes, what’s meant to be, finds its way.