Mohnish Bahl reveals Salman asked him if he's quit negative roles after 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!': "I was like, ‘Are you crazy?'"

'Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!' is Sooraj Barjatiya’s masterpiece that remains iconic even 27 years after it released in theatres. The ensemble family drama was a trendsetter in Bollywood for several reasons and for actor Mohnish Bahl the film was a big turning point. The actor who was widely stereotyped as the villain in Bollywood before 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!' happened says the film opened many doors for him in the industry.

Mohnish who played Salman Khan’s cousin Rajesh in the film relived a few memories on the film’s anniversary today. He revealed that 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!' changed the perception about him as an actor. Talking to Times of India about the iconic Rajshri film Mohnish says, “Because of ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!’(I don’t mean this in a detrimental way), people were like how do we cast him in a negative role now. Many were also wondering if I would do any negative roles now. Even Salman Khan was like, ‘Monya are you going to close the door for the negative roles now?’ I was like, ‘Are you crazy? Every filmmaker is not Sooraj Barjatya who will give me roles of parallel leads in films.’ That would have been the end of my career.”

The actor also said that even he was pleasantly surprised when Sooraj Barjatiya approached him to play a positive character in the Salman Khan Madhuri Dixit led film. “I was well established in a negative role after ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, that when ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!’ came along, I was a bit surprised. I also asked Sooraj ji, if he was sure about this casting because you know how actors get stereotyped in the industry. But he was adamant about it. Later, I realised why he wanted me to play that role,” Mohnish says.

The actor further explained how his positive role made the climax tense. Mohnish’s character is all set to marry Madhuri’s Nisha towards the end and when Rajesh finds out she loves his brother Prem played by Salman, it made for a tense moment as people banked on his history of negative roles while anticipating his reaction. His positive response, however, makes the climax more fulfilling and the happy ending sweeter.