Dharmesh Darshan has made just 8 films in the last 31 years and yet, he’s considered one of the most loved directors of Hindi cinema because of his envious track record. His biggest blockbuster, Raja Hindustani (1996), completed 28 years on November 11 and during an exclusive interaction with Bollywood Hungama on its anniversary, Dharmesh Darshan revealed that at one point, he even got an offer to direct a Hollywood film from none other than Ashok Amritraj.
Dharmesh Darshan revealed, “Sunita Murli Manohar, the daughter-in-law of a distributor from Bengaluru, Mr Mendre, was Ashok Amritraj’s representative while he was in LA. She flew down from Bengaluru to meet me. I was very busy at that time. A Hollywood film was offered to me with the condition that I’d have to leave Mumbai for a year. It was the first Indo-Hollywood project, and they also desired to cast Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. They had done a survey to determine who was the number 1 actor, actress and director and that’s how I was approached. This happened in 1999.”
Dharmesh continued, “I was offered an unheard-of price, and it was going to be an all-expenses-paid trip. She sat with me for six hours over three days. I refused as I had committed Mela (2000) to Aamir Khan. I was also doing Dhadkan (2000), which was a big responsibility as its actors – Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Shilpa Shetty – were at an all-time low. Secondly, my parents were suffering from neurological disorders. My father had Alzheimer’s while my mother had Parkinson’s. Moreover, while being in Beverly Hills, LA, I was required to be an associate director to a top Hollywood director to understand how Hollywood works.”
He added, “I felt that God has given me enormous success with Raja Hindustani, and I decided I shouldn’t desert my parents and Indian cinema.”
Dharmesh Darshan also said why Hollywood probably had an interest in him. He said, “I am the only Bollywood director whose 3 songs were purchased by Hollywood makers and shot by them. ‘Chori Chori Hum Gori Se’ from Mela (2000) was used in The Guru (2002). ‘Pardesi Pardesi’ was a part of the soundtrack of V For Vendetta (2005). ‘Pucho Zara Pucho’ was played in the background in Kate Winslet-starrer Holy Smoke (1999).”
The post EXCLUSIVE: Dharmesh Darshan reveals he was offered to direct a Hollywood film by Ashok Amritraj: “I was offered an unheard-of price; they also desired to cast Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan…” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
from Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/7PZiBTh
