Mohnish Bahl had almost quit Bollywood when Salman Khan recommended his name to play villain in Maine Pyar Kiya. His daughter Pranutan Bahl’s debut film Notebook was also produced by Salman Khan.
Born on August 14, 1961 in Mumbai to popular actress Nutan and Lieutenant Commander Rajnish Bahl, Mohnish Bahl is a popular Indian actor. He made his acting debut in the 1983 film Bekarar, and his first six films failed at the box office. It was the 1989 film Maine Pyar Kiya, that revived his career after he had decided to quit acting and become a pilot. Mohnish Bahl played the negative role of Jeevan in Salman Khan and Bhagyashree-starrer romantic drama.
Recalling how Salman Khan recommended his name to the Barjatya family for the 1989 blockbuster, Mohnish Bahl told The Times of India in 2021, “By the time I got Maine Pyar Kiya, not only had I started my career, but also ended it. I thought I was finished after a few flops and was planning to become a pilot. I was working on getting my commercial flying license as I wanted to get a job in something I like doing, in the aviation sector. Salman Khan and I bumped into each other one day and we became friends. He was also trying to get into the business of filmmaking, so when he got this break in Maine Pyar Kiya, he recommended my name for the villain’s role.”
“He asked me if I’d be interested in doing the role, and I agreed. It was tricky for me to do a villain’s role back then as I was a flop hero. But any inclination that I had to play a hero was over by then. So I took it on but had never expected that it would be a new lease of life for my career and make me viable even 30 years later. I don’t think even Salman had thought about it”, the actor added.
Mohnish Bahl went on to play pivotal roles in multiple hit films such as Bol Radha Bol, Shola Aur Shabnam, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Raja Hindustani, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, and Koyla in the 1990s. He was last seen in the 2019 historical drama Panipat, in which he played the Maratha Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao.
Talking about his personal life, Mohnish tied the knot with actress Ekta Sohini, now known as Aarti Bahl in 1992, and they are parents to two daughters, named Pranutan Bahl and Krishaa Bahl. Pranutan Bahl is also an actress, who made her Bollywood debut in the 2019 romantic drama Notebook. Just like Salman helped Mohnish’s career, he also helped Pranutan as he produced her first film under his banner Salman Khan films. Pranutan was last seen in the 2021 comedy Helmet.
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