Actor Akshay Kumar was supposed to be the lead in Suneel Darshan's 2005 directorial Barsaat, but the actor opted out from the film despite shooting.
Akshay and Suneel had worked on many hit films prior to Barsaat, and the duo had even shot the title track of the song with the film lead, Priyanka Chopra.
However, as per grapevine, the Jaanwar actor's wife Twinkle Khanna disapproved of him sharing the screen with Priyanka.
The filmmaker confirmed the rumours as he opened up, “Akshay Kumar went through a personal dilemma. We started shooting with Akshay and Priyanka. We shot a song with them."
"After that, the film kept getting delayed as Akshay had to sort out his (family) problems. It was a grave domestic issue for Akshay. Otherwise, he’d have never walked out of the film."
The Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha filmmaker continued, "He couldn’t have let me down after the way I’ve stood by him over the years. The provocation had to be very serious."
"When a filmmaker invests so much in a film, he’s within his rights to expect loyalty from his actors. But then personal dilemmas have to be sorted out before professional loyalties are considered…"
"I don’t blame Akshay for anything. But yes, firstly he insisted that I sign no actor but him. Then he drops out. Thank God Bobby bailed me out. Someday I’ll edit the song I shot with Akshay in Barsaat and use it somewhere," added Suneel.
Interestingly, after Akshay's departure, actress Katrina Kaif was roped in but her dates clashed with the film schedules.
In her replacement, Bipasha Basu was cast in the film that went on to become a sleeper hit.
