Trouble in Prem paradise

Sooraj Barjatya and Salman Khan’s jodi seemed inseparable in the ’90s when the two broke all box office records with their films Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Hum Saath Saath Hain. And then the black buck case tore apart this friendship when Salman, along with a few other co-actors, was accused of shooting the rare breed.

After a 14-year-long cold war, Sooraj and Salman reunited for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PRDP). On the surface, the two seem to have renewed their friendship in a big way, showering lavish praises on one another at public events. Insiders, however, have a different version to share. They say that there are signs of a growing dissent between the two.

And that has to do with their differences of opinion regarding the shaping of their film. Says a source in the know, “It started with the title itself. Salman didn’t care much for the title Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. But he went along with it because he was keen to dissolve all differences with his best friend. However, as the shooting progressed, other differences cropped up.”

Nowadays, whoever is associated with a Salman Khan project in whatever capacity knows how involved he is in every aspect of the film. It was no different with PRDP. But Sooraj wasn’t going to comply with Salman’s suggestions as willingly as a Nikhil Advani did with Hero. We hear that now Sooraj and Salman are failing to agree upon the film’s length.

Says the source, “Salman feels PRDP is getting too long. He wants some of the songs to be shortened or edited out. But Sooraj is adamant. He reminds Salman that even during Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Hum Saath Saath Hain, Salman had felt there were too many songs. But the audiences loved it.”

Sooraj, in fact, wants to shoot one more song with Salman but the latter isn’t budging. At the moment, the matter is in limbo. Now, it remains to be seen if the two are able to work out their differences and repeat their box office history.