Shraddha Kapoor says she once turned down the opportunity to work with Salman Khan

Shraddha Kapoor, one of the top actresses in Hindi cinema, recently told a leading website that she turned down an opportunity to work with Salman Khan when she was barely 16 as she wanted to concentrate on her studies. She added that it was not an easy decision as ‘Bhai’ is a bonafide A-lister.

“I felt that at the age of 15 or 16, I was too young and wanted to finish schooling and attend college. I don’t think getting offers back then has defined my success. But it was difficult to turn it down and focus on studies because it was such a fantastic opportunity to work with Salman Khan,” she said.

The Ungli heroine eventually made her Bollywood with the 2010 release Teen Patti that did not do well at the box office. After a few setbacks, the actress proved her mettle with Aashiqui 2 that established her as a household name. The rest, as they say, is history.

The year 2019 was an eventful one for Shraddha. ‘Aarohi’ made her Tollywood debut with the Hindi-Telugu bilingual Saaho and added a new dimension to her career. The film, marking her first collaboration with Baahubali hero Prabhas, emerged as a big hit in the Hindi belt but failed to deliver the goods at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana box office. She also tasted success with the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer Chhichore.

Shraddha started off 2020 with Street Dancer 3D, a follow up to ABCD 2. The film, marking her second collaboration with Varun Dhawan, under-performed at the box office and failed to impress the target audience. She was last seen in the smash hit Baaghi 3, starring her as the leading lady opposite Tiger Shroff.

Shraddha was the original choice for the Saina Nehwal biopic but exited the project after replacing Katrina Kaif in Street Dancer 3D. Following this, the makers roped in Parineeti Chopra to play the ace badminton player on the big screen.