Yakeen later starrted Arjun Rampal opposite Priyanka Chopra.
Rajniesh Duggall’s debut in Bollywood faced a major setback when Priyanka reportedly refused to work with a newcomer at the last minute.
Model-turned-actor Rajniesh Duggall, crowned Mr. India and Mr. International, had established himself in the modeling industry before landing a role in Priyanka Chopra’s 2005 film Yakeen. However, his debut in Bollywood faced a major setback when Priyanka reportedly refused to work with a newcomer at the last minute.
In a recent interaction with Siddharth Kannan, Rajniesh spoke about the experience of being dropped from what could have been his debut Hindi film and how it took a toll on him. He said, “I was the first choice for Yakeen, I was signed for the film. In fact, I was working on it. When I met director Girish Dhamija, he asked me, ‘When can you move to Mumbai?’ I was already planning to move to Mumbai. So, I got training from Girish ji himself; he is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a dialect coach.”
In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Rajniesh talked about his experience of being dropped from what could have been his debut Hindi film and how it affected him. He said, “I was the first choice for Yakeen, I was signed for the film. In fact, I was working on it. When I met director Girish Dhamija, he asked me, ‘When can you move to Mumbai?’ I was already planning to move to Mumbai. So, I got training from Girish ji himself; he is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a dialect coach.”
Rajniesh Duggall shared that the producer had heavily invested in him, providing luxuries like a Juhu penthouse, a chauffeur-driven car, and personal chef services. He trained intensively for the film, which included a double role alongside Priyanka as the lead. Recalling the night he was dropped from the film, Rajniesh said, “Suddenly, the producer, Sujit Kumar Singh, called me to his office at night. He told me that Priyanka has become a big star in the time span since they had signed me and they had paid her for the bulk deal, now she is saying ‘I will not work with a newcomer.’ My first reaction was that change the girl because I only saw them putting money on me. I didn’t understand movie business at that time.”
Looking back at Priyanka’s decision not to work with him, he said, “They said Priyanka wanted that, but I feel it could have been the managers or the people around her. I don’t blame her, but she was aware that I was doing the film. She could have said, ‘No, he will do it.’”
