Nana Patekar was asked to leave this Madhuri Dixit film, director replaced him with Paresh Rawal because...

Nana Patekar is among the powerhouse performers of Bollywood. The National Awardee has showcased his acting talent in several movies like Tiranga, Krantiveer, Parinda, Yeshwant, Prahaar: The Final Attack, and Kaala. Apart from his seamless performances, Nana has made headlines for his infamous temperament and interference with the filmmakers. 

Today we will discuss a film where Nana Patekar was replaced by an actor, who was much junior to him. However, his habit of interfering with the director threw him out of the film, despite shooting it for four days. Despite his exit, the film went on to become a superhit, and the actor who replaced him, earned appreciation for his performance. 

The movie in which Nana Patekar was replaced is...

Raja, the 1995 romantic drama, directed by Indra Kumar stars Madhuri Dixit with Sanjay Kapoor, making his Bollywood debut. The movie also stars Paresh Rawal, Mukesh Khanna, Dalip Tahil, and Rita Bahaduri in key roles. 

In the movie, Paresh played the challenging role of mentally challenged Brijnath 'Birju' Patangwala. As per IMDb, Nana Patekar was the original choice for Birju. He shot for the film for four days and was interfering with the direction. Reportedly, Indra Kumar got frustrated and told Nana to part ways. And that's how Nana was asked to take an exit, and Paresh stepped into the role of Birju. 

Box office performance of Raja

Raja was released on 2 June 1995 and was a commercial Blockbuster. Made in the reported budget of Rs 4 crores, the film grossed Rs 34 crores. Madhuri and Paresh won praise from critics for their performances. Dixit even won the Best Actress Award, and Paresh won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1996 Screen Awards. 

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