Rajniesh Duggall claims Priyanka was behind his replacement in 'Yakeen'
Actor Rajniesh Duggall, recognized for his debut in the 2008 horror thriller 1920, has recently stated that he was dropped from his first film, Yakeen (2005), due to co-star Priyanka Chopra Jonas's refusal to work with him. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Duggall disclosed that he was replaced because of her reluctance to star alongside a newcomer. Yakeen finally starred Arjun Rampal, Sudhanshu Pandey, and Saurabh Shukla.
Duggall's preparation for 'Yakeen' and abrupt exit
Duggall further revealed that the film's director, Girish Dhamija, had trained him for the role. He was preparing to move to Mumbai at that time. The actor also shared that producer Sujit Kumar Singh had heavily invested in him, signing a three-film deal and providing him with a Juhu penthouse, a chauffeur-driven car, and a personal cook. Despite this support, his involvement in Yakeen came to an abrupt end when Chopra Jonas allegedly refused to work with him.
Duggall recalled producer's revelation and his initial reaction
"Suddenly, the producer...called me to his office at night. He told me that Priyanka has become a big star in the time span since they had signed me and they had paid her for the bulk deal, now she is saying 'I will not work with a newcomer,'" Duggall recalled. "My first reaction was that change the girl because I only saw them putting money on me. I didn't understand movie business at that time."
However, he doesn't blame Chopra Jonas for his replacement
Despite his disappointment over being dropped from Yakeen, Duggall does not blame Chopra directly for what happened. He suggested that her managers or those around her might have influenced her decision. "I don't blame her, but she was aware that I was doing the film. She could have said, 'No, he will do it,'" he said. 1920 aside, Duggall is known for winning Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 5, and starring in Inspector Avinash and Postcards, among others.
