Salman Khan Once Claimed Priyanka Chopra Quit ‘Bharat’ To Distance Herself From Bollywood

In 2018, excitement soared when director Ali Abbas Zafar announced Bharat with Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra in the lead.

Fans were thrilled to see the popular pair reunite on screen after nearly a decade, known for their undeniable chemistry. However, the buzz quickly turned into surprise when Priyanka unexpectedly stepped away from the project just days before filming began. Her sudden exit was reportedly due to her engagement to Nick Jonas.

Rumours began circulating that Salman Khan is possibly miffed with Priyanka Chopra after she said no to the film, five days before the schedule was to begin. However, Bollywood’s Bhaijaan assured that it wasn’t the case. At press meets and interviews, the Sikandar actor said that he was ready to work around the dates due to Priyanka’s wedding with Nick Jonas. However, she was determined that she wanted to opt out of the film, which later went to Katrina Kaif.

Salman, back in the day, had spoken to Bombay Times about Priyanka’s exit from his film, Bharat. He also clarified that he holds no grudges against the actor, but is rather happy for the developments in her personal space. “She (Priyanka) had a reason to do that. It’s just that the project got stuck. Had we known earlier, we could have worked it out better. She was getting engaged and I told her, ‘If you are getting engaged, what’s the need (of exiting the project)?’ Then she said, ‘Shaadi karni hai’ to which I said ‘Toh shaadi kar lo’,” he had said.

The superstar also added, “Priyanka’s work was for 75-80 days. Shaadi ke liye chaar din ka preparation, aur chaar din ki shaadi, aath din ke andar ho gayi aur phir uske baad honeymoon. So, we said we will work it out. But she was very clear that she didn’t want to be a part of the film.”

Salman then revealed Priyanka had reportedly called his sister, Arpita, many a time telling her that she wanted to work with him. “It must have been very difficult for her to make this decision because she was very keen to work on this project. She has called up Arpita a thousand times, saying, ‘I want to work with Salman’. She has even called up Ali (Abbas Zafar, director) and told him, ‘See if you can get me something in this film’,” he claimed.

The Wanted actor also added that he doesn’t know about the real reason behind her exit from the film, however, made a few speculations. “Not doing this had to be because of the wedding or because she doesn’t want to work with me anymore. It could also be because she doesn’t want to work in humari industry (Bollywood) or wants to work only in Hollywood. Whatever she wants to do, I wish her all the best in life. We are glad that she is engaged and happy,” Salman had said.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra is all set to make her Indian film comeback with SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu’s SSMB 28. As for Salman Khan, his latest release, Sikandar, is currently streaming on Netflix.