Mohnish Bahl thought his career was finished before Maine Pyaar Kiya: ‘I was planning to become a pilot’

Mohnish Bahl made his acting debut with a supporting role in Bekaraar in 1983 but the film was a critical and commercial failure. He delivered a spate of flops after that and thought his career in Bollywood was finished until Maine Pyaar Kiya turned things around for him.

Dejected by the failures, Mohnish was planning to become a pilot and was working on getting his commercial flying license. However, things changed when Salman Khan recommended his name for the villain’s role in Maine Pyaar Kiya.

“By the time I got Maine Pyar Kiya, not only had I started my career, but also ended it. I thought I was finished after a few flops and was planning to become a pilot. I was working on getting my commercial flying license as I wanted to get a job in something I like doing – in the aviation sector. Salman Khan and I bumped into each other one day and we became friends. He was also trying to get into the business of filmmaking, so when he got this break in MPK, he recommended my name for the villain’s role,” Mohnish told The Times of India in an interview.

“It was tricky for me to do a villain’s role those days, as I was a flop hero. Any inclination I had to play hero was over by then. So I took on the villain’s role, but never expected that this would be the start of an actual career for me, which still makes me viable even 30 years later,” he added.

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Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, Maine Pyaar Kiya starred Salman and Bhagyashree in the lead roles, with Mohnish playing one of the antagonists. The film was the highest-grossing release of 1989 and is considered a classic.

With the success of Maine Pyaar Kiya, Mohnish rebuilt his career and went on to star in a number of successful films, including Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Raja Hindustani, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. He was last seen on the big screen in the historical drama Panipat.

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