Paresh Rawal didn't do 'Munnabhai MBBS' due to Vidhu Vinod Chopra's arrogance: 'He started ignoring the people he started off with'

Paresh Rawal who has been in the industry for around four decades is known for his unique characters that have left a mark in the hearts of the audience. He's also considered one of the best actors in Indian cinema. In a recent interview, Rawal revealed that he was supposed to be a part of 'Munnabhai MBBS' and had almost signed Boman Irani's role.

Rawal spoke about it, as he was sharing details about how Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijaat Joshi came to see his play 'Kanji Virudh Kanji'. This particular Gujarati play was adapted into a film 'OMG: Oh My God' which also starred Rawal. Incidentally, Rajkumar Hirani was making 'PK' two years later which also dealt with the beliefs existing in India. Rawal revealed in an interview with The Lallantop, "It was around the time PK was happening, Saumya Joshi, a brilliant Gujarati writer, was accompanied by his brother Abhijat and Raju Hirani. They were there f0r almost every show. You see, we used to incorporate newer angles in every show."
He added that they came to Rawal to check for any new dialogue that they wrote. He added, "Any new dialogue, they came and checked. Both are very good people, despite staying with Vidhu Vinod Chopra for so long."

With this sarcastic comment for Chopra, Paresh was asked about his equation with him. He revealed that VVC has forgotten the people who he started off with. He said, "He is someone who started ignoring the people he started off with, especially after becoming big in his career. I was supposed to do Munna Bhai. We were discussing remuneration, and in my head, I wanted Rs 15 lakhs. Vidhu also offered the same number, but the way he said ‘I’ll give you 15’ miffed me. I asked for Rs 50 lakhs, and decided to not budge from my want just to not take arrogance from anyone."

Interestingly, 'Munnabhai MBBS' was remade in Telugu with Chiranjeevi. It was titled 'Shankar Dada MBBS' and Rawal played Boman Irani's role in that. Later, he played Sunil Dutt's role in Sanjay Dutt's biopic 'Sanju'. Paresh Rawal added that money is not important for him, but he didn't appreciate Chopra's attitude. “Artistes are built differently. If you place a hand on my shoulders, and ask nicely, I will do a film for even one rupee. But, if you throw around attitude, I won’t accept a role even if I’m paid in crores," he said.