Bhagyashree who became a household name after the success of Maine Pyar Kiya decided to not chase stardom
Bhagyashree. Image sourced from mid-day archives
The year 1989 proved to be a career breaking year for Salman Khan and Bhagyashree. The two youngsters starred in Sooraj R. Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya, the film that made the duo the heartthrob of the nation. Salman Khan's chemistry with Bhagyashree, the melodious soundtrack and an out-an-out romance drama of the film, made it a huge blockbuster at the Box Office. Even today, fans revisit this romance and dance to the tunes of its infectious and contagious songs.
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However, Bhagyashree who became a household name decided to not chase stardom. Speaking to Hindustan Times, the actress gave a valid reason for it. She said, "I felt okay in my little cocoon, and didn't want to step out. One more reason was I was very protective about my family, and didn't want anything anaap-shanaap (rubbish) to be written. Today, the media has gotten to another level. That time, there was no digital, it was one-to-one magazines and newspapers, it was in everyone's home, and not so much rotation of news happened."
The reason? "At that point of time, one magazine came out once a month, and people would talk only about that for the entire month. For me, it was like, 'I don't want to become people's breakfast table gossip conversation'. It's silly, but that's the way I kind of led my life, very protective about my family and reputation, and the way people would perceive me," said the veteran actress.
Bhayashree also revealed that director Yash Chopra had offered her a film post her marriage. "You'd be surprised, that even after my son was born, Yash (Chopra, filmmaker) uncle told me 'Tum haan bolo, main film shuru karta hoon'. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I was hearing that a married woman may not be accepted in the film world, and here was this amazing producer-director, at the top of his game, telling me maa banne ke bawajood, I'll make a film with you. I thought he's just talking, it's not possible. I'm not going to set my heart to something so impossible," said the 51-year-old, mother of actor Abhimanyu Dassani.
Maine Pyar Kiya, directed by Sooraj Barjatya had become a blockbuster of the decade. Though Salman and Bhagyashree never worked again, but they kept in touch with each other.
In an earlier interview, Bhagyshree had recalled an unpleasant incident which happened on the sets. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, she said, "There was a very popular photographer back then, who is no more. He wanted to take some not-so-complimentary photographs of Salman and me some sort of "hot" photographs. So, he took Salman aside and told him, 'Main jab camera set up karunga (When I set up the camera), you just catch her and smooch her.'
"All of us were new-comers and this photographer thought he had the liberty to do something like that. Back then, smooching scenes were not prevalent. I don't think he or Salman knew that I was standing by very close and could hear every word. For a second, I remained shocked, but just then, I heard Salman say, 'I am not going to do anything of that sort. If you want any pose like that, you need to ask Bhagyashree.' I really respected Salman's response, and that's when I realised I was among safe people."
Bhagyashree's son Abhimanyu Dassani made his Bollywood debut with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. The actor will now star in Sabbir Khan's Nikamma that also marks the return of Shilpa Shetty on the big screen.
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