Throwback Thursday: When Monica Bedi opened up about losing her chance to star in 'Karan Arjun'

Monica Bedi. Pic/Instagram

Former actress Monica Bedi turns a year older today. She made her acting debut in Hindi films in the mid-1990s and her notable work includes 'Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat' and 'Jodi No.1'. She is known for participating in 'Bigg Boss 2' and 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2' and playing 'Gumaan Kaur Vyas' in Star Plus's show 'Saraswatichandra'. On Monica Bedi's birthday, we revisit the time she lost out on the chance to be a part of the superhit 1995 film 'Karan Arjun' due to her own mistake.

In an earlier interview with Siddharth Kannan, Monica Bedi shared details on how she missed out on the chance to star opposite Salman Khan in the film 'Karan Arjun' directed by Rakesh Roshan. The film also starred Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Mamta Kulkarni. She said in Hindi, "At Subhash Ghai's Holi party, Rakesh Roshan walked up to me. I knew he is an actor, I had watched his films. But I didn't know he is also a director-producer. So, he came to me and did some small talk. He gave me his card and told me, ‘Come and see me tomorrow.'"

She further added, "I was like why is he calling me over, he is an actor. I simply tore the card and dumped it. A few months later, my manager asked me ‘Why didn't you meet Rakesh Roshan? He was planning to cast you opposite Salman Khan in Karan Arjun' I was like how would I know." The part finally went to Mamta Kulkarni.

Monica Bedi, an Indian actress and former girlfriend of gangster Abu Salem, saw a significant downturn in her career due to her association with Salem and their involvement in criminal activities. In 2002, both Monica Bedi and Abu Salem were arrested in Portugal on charges of traveling with forged documents. This led to their extradition to India to face trial for their involvement in various criminal activities. Abu Salem was accused of being a part of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, among other charges.

Actor Monica Bedi faced legal troubles due to her association with Salem, and her acting career took a hit as a result. The film industry distanced itself from her, and she found it difficult to secure roles. The stigma of being associated with a wanted criminal affected her professional life adversely. In 2006, Monica was sentenced to five years in prison for passport forgery charges in India.