When Illeana refused to work with Salman Khan
The ‘Barfi!’ south sensation once lost the chance to work with the heartthrob of Bollywood, Salman Khan. She was offered to play Salman’s ladylove in the Tamil remake of Hindi film ‘Wanted’ but then Illeana was not fully prepared for her Bollywood debut. ‘Wanted’ was the remake of Tamil blockbuster ‘Pokiri’ starring Vijay and Asin Thottumkal and was directed by Prabhu Deva. When Illeana was asked to act in the remake also, she refused. After her refusal, Ayesha Takia was approached and she played the lead role.
Illeana reasoned her refusal, "Yes, I was approached
for the remake of Pokiri in Tamil and Hindi. I did Pokiri in
Telugu, which did a huge business. I didn't take the offer of Pokiri in
Hindi, which was titled Wanted, as I felt I was not prepared enough to
enter Bollywood," the actress, who is now debuting in Bollywood with Barfi!
Told.
"It was not that I didn't want to do the film, it's just that I didn't
want to do it half-heartedly. I missed an opportunity to work with Salman Khan
in Wanted. But no regret as I feel Barfi! is the perfect launch
for me. But I am really happy that 'Wanted' did well. I would love to work with
Salman Khan in the near future," she added.
‘Barfi!’ directed by Anurag Basu stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Illeana D’Cruz in the lead.
