Amrita Rao walked into a meeting with Sooraj Barjatya in jeans and a tee, completely blind to the fact that he wanted her to play a small-town Madhupur girl. She recalled showing up looking like a total modern Bombayite, only to discover the role was Poonam, the traditional bride-to-be from Vivah who couldn't have been further from her vibe.
But the real gut-punch came when Barjatya told her he'd loved her performance. Her brain instantly jumped to the big commercial hits she'd done, yet he meant Legend of Bhagat Singh, a film where she clocked barely seven minutes of screen time. That such a tiny role landed with a director of his stature genuinely floored her.
Vivah went on to become the biggest commercial win for both Amrita and Shahid Kapoor at that point in their careers. Rajshri Productions handled the film, which also holds the distinction of being the first Indian movie to drop in theaters and online simultaneously.
But the real gut-punch came when Barjatya told her he'd loved her performance. Her brain instantly jumped to the big commercial hits she'd done, yet he meant Legend of Bhagat Singh, a film where she clocked barely seven minutes of screen time. That such a tiny role landed with a director of his stature genuinely floored her.
Vivah went on to become the biggest commercial win for both Amrita and Shahid Kapoor at that point in their careers. Rajshri Productions handled the film, which also holds the distinction of being the first Indian movie to drop in theaters and online simultaneously.
