As pleasure builds round Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, few do not forget that Bollywood nearly introduced the epic to life many years in the past—with Salman Khan within the lead. Lengthy earlier than this contemporary retelling, a grand model of the Ramayana was set in movement by Sohail Khan within the early Nineteen Nineties. However simply because the movie was gaining momentum, an surprising off-screen romance—and a household rift—led to its sudden collapse.
Sohail Khan’s Mythological Dream
In response to story printed in Bollywoodshaadis.com, again within the early Nineteen Nineties, Sohail—contemporary off his directorial debut Auzaar—was gearing up for his subsequent bold venture: a Bollywood adaptation of the Ramayana. He had envisioned a grand scale and a powerful forged, together with his brother Salman Khan set to play ‘Lord Ram’ and Sonali Bendre forged as ‘Goddess Sita’. On the time, Salman was already rising as considered one of Bollywood’s greatest stars, making the venture all of the extra high-profile.
Pooja Bhatt Joins the Forged
Pooja Bhatt was additionally onboard for the bold venture, which had already accomplished practically 40percent of its shoot. Salman Khan had even begun early promotions, donning conventional apparel with a bow and arrow, sparking pleasure amongst followers for his portrayal of Lord Ram. With robust preliminary buzz and a star-studded forged, the movie was shaping as much as be a grand mythological spectacle — till destiny intervened and introduced it to an surprising halt.
Romance on Set Derails the Movie
Preparations had been progressing easily when an surprising twist disrupted the movie’s trajectory. In response to a report in Mid-Day and India.com, Sohail and Pooja developed a romantic relationship through the shoot of Ramayana. Their bond shortly deepened, and by 1995, Pooja had even spoken brazenly about the opportunity of marriage—including an off-screen complication that may quickly influence the destiny of the movie.Nevertheless, issues took a flip when Salim Khan, the patriarch of the Khan household, reportedly disapproved of Sohail and Pooja’s rising relationship. Involved about potential issues, he’s mentioned to have suggested Sohail to name it off. The ensuing fallout not solely ended the romance but in addition derailed the bold Ramayana venture—bringing Salman and Sohail’s mythological dream to an abrupt halt.
Challenge Shelved After Pooja Bhatt’s Exit
Pooja was reportedly deeply harm by the Khan household’s chilly stance, and tensions shortly escalated. She exited the venture, and shortly after, the bold movie started to crumble. Regardless of Salman Khan’s efforts to maintain it afloat, nothing might save the manufacturing. The venture was in the end shelved indefinitely—bringing an finish to what might have been a landmark mythological movie that includes Salman Khan as Lord Ram and Sonali Bendre as Sita.
Ramayana Returns
Now, practically thirty years after the unique venture fell aside, Ramayana is being revived on an excellent grander scale. Directed by Dangal and Chhichhore fame Nitesh Tiwari and co-produced by Namit Malhotra and actor Yash, the upcoming adaptation is envisioned as a two-part epic and is poised to turn into the costliest Indian movie ever made.