Priyanka Chopra refused to work with Rajneish Duggall in Yakeen; actor reveals why

Actor Rajniesh Duggall, a former Mr India and Mr International was a leading model before he was signed for Priyanka Chopra’s 2005 film ‘Yakeen’. Priyanka Chopra was an established star by then. However, his entry into Bollywood was hindered when Priyanka allegedly refused to work with a newcomer at the last moment. Later Rajniesh was replaced by Arjun Rampal. The movie worked mildly well in the theatres. Rajniesh recently got candid in an interview sharing about the same openly.

Rajniesh Duggall reveals been replaced by Arjun Rampal in Yakeen

In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Rajniesh shared how being dropped from his potential debut film impacted him.

He said, “I was the first choice for Yakeen, I was signed for the film. In fact, I was working on it. When I met director Girish Dhamija, he asked me, ‘When can you move to Mumbai?’ I was already planning to move to Mumbai. So, I got training from Girish ji himself; he is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a dialect coach.”

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Rajniesh revealed that the producer had heavily invested in him, providing luxurious facilities like a Juhu penthouse, a chauffeur-driven car, and a cook. He said, “They signed a three-film deal with me. I had a double role in the film with Priyanka as the lead. They put me in a penthouse at Juhu 10th Road. They gave me a car and a driver. One call and a person would bring food to my flat. I was going to classes and fully preparing and prepared for 2-2.5 months. I left brand endorsements of Siyaram, Vimal, and other companies to concentrate on the film.”

About Priyanka refusing to work with him

Recalling the night he said, “Suddenly, the producer, Sujit Kumar Singh, called me to his office at night. He told me that Priyanka has become a big star in the time span since they had signed me and they had paid her for the bulk deal. Now she is saying ‘I will not work with a newcomer’. My first reaction was that change the girl because I only saw them putting money on me. I didn’t understand movie business at that time.”

Addressing Priyanka’s decision, he commented, “They said Priyanka wanted that, but I feel it could have been the managers or the people around her. I don’t blame her, but she was aware that I was doing the film. She could have said, ‘No, he will do it.’”

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