EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Barjatya praises Amrita Rao; reveals how she was cast for Shahid Kapoor starrer Vivah, “She has a very beautiful face”

Sooraj Barjatya made his directorial debut with Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). His next release, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), became the highest-grossing Indian film. His family dramas Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), Vivah (2006), and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) are the most favourite. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Sooraj Barjatya reveals why he chose Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao in his film Vivah.

Sooraj Barjatya on casting Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao in Vivah

Talking about why he cast Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao in Vivah, Sooraj Barjatya said, “Actually, when the topic of Vivaah came up, I used to share my script with everyone, and people would say, ‘Who will watch this? Because nowadays, it’s all about live-in relationships. What are you making?’ I said, ‘Just like people live in, I want to make this because I need to create it from within.’ So I set a small budget and said, ‘Now I will make what I want to make.’ Because I’ve seen the world and know that India is like this, I made it. I created it in such a way that I didn’t have any competition. I took Shahid and Amrita just for the role because I felt that they could portray the innocence wanted for the role. And for Amrita, I wanted a very pretty face, a very Indian face. And she has a very beautiful face.”

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He added, “Both of them came. Both of them surrendered. Although when they were filming, they didn’t understand the concept of arranged marriages. Shahid used to ask me, ‘What is “saugat”? What does it mean?’ So he would say the dialogue, and then he would ask me for the meaning. But they surrendered, so I think it made a big difference. The team should get the credit, but the team really made a difference. They trusted me.”

About Vivah

Vivah is a 2006 romantic drama film, written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya. Produced and distributed by Rajshri Productions, the film stars Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao as leads. Anupam Kher, Alok Nath, Seema Biswas, Amrita Prakash, Samir Soni and Lata Sabharwal were also a part of the cast. Vivah tells the story of two individuals and relates their journey from engagement to marriage and aftermath.

Watch the full interview

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sooraj Barjatya opens up about his creator Mahesh Bhatt & inspiration Raj Kapoor; says, “Yeh God hai…”