Rajneesh Duggal reveals he turned down role in Emraan Hashmi’s ‘Murder’ because he couldn’t kiss on screen: ‘Because I had a girlfriend’ | Hindi Movie News

Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat shot to fame in 2004 with the film Murder, directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. The film received mixed reviews when it was released but quickly became a huge hit. However, few people know that Rajneesh Duggal was the candidate for the lead role, not Emraan Hashmi.

Recently, in conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Rajneesh shared his heartfelt reason for turning down a role that could have changed his life. The 1920s actor recounted how he was approached for Murder just three days after being crowned Mr India in March 2003. He revealed that his mentors from his pageant days, Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt, had first approached him for the role.

Rajnies recalls, “One day, Mahesh Bhatt was the guest speaker. He looked at everyone and introduced himself. As everyone introduced themselves and explained why they were there, I confidently said, ‘I am here to win’. I think that confidence resonated with him.”

The next day, when Mukesh Bhatt enquired about the man from Delhi, producer Anshuman Swami pointed him out to Rajneesh, and three days later Rajneesh was called into the Bhatts’ office along with Swami and composer Abu Malik.

Rajneesh recalled how Mukesh Bhatt explained that he was making the film to re-launch his nephew Emraan Hashmi, who made his debut in Footpath in 2003. Bhatt said, “I’m bringing in a new girl from Delhi called Reema Gill (Mallika Sherawat’s real name) and I made him listen to the Murder album. It was amazing.”

Director Bhatt offered Rajneesh a choice between two roles, that of a husband or a boyfriend, with Emraan playing the other role. Upon hearing about the bold storyline, which included intimate scenes, Rajneesh confessed that he had a girlfriend (now wife Pallavi) and that they could not kiss on screen.



Rajneesh walked away from Murder out of respect for their relationship. Though surprised, the Bhatts respected his choice. Rajneesh eventually made his debut in 2008 with Vikram Bhatt’s 1920.