Actor Parmeet Sethi, best known for his iconic role as Kuljeet in Aditya Chopra‘s 1995 romantic film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, has revealed that his son Ayushmaan was shortlisted for the same role in the stage musical adaptation of the film. He also shared the reason he missed out on the opportunity.
Parmeet Sethi makes a confession
During a YouTube Live on Sunday to celebrate the 1 million milestone of their family channel AAAP Ka Parivaar, Parmeet revealed that his younger son, Ayushmaan Sethi, who is also an aspiring actor, had auditioned for the role of Kuljeet in Come Fall in Love. Kuljeet Singh was the fiancé of Kajol’s character Simran.
“He was shortlisted for the role of Kuljeet in the Broadway adaptation of DDLJ that happened at West End of London. He almost got it,” revealed Parmeet.
Ayushmaan, who joined his parents during the YouTube Live, went on to share the reason he was rejected for the role. Ayushmaan shared, “They wanted someone who was experienced in Western classical singing for a long time. I have some experience in it, but not as much as they wanted.”
At that moment, actor Archana Puran Singh chimed in and shared, “As an aspiring actor, it’s very tough to describe what you’re doing. You’re doing struggle. Struggle is a very Indian term, but we usually call it aspiring actors.”
Ayushmaan and his elder brother, Aaryamann Sethi are graduates of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York.
About Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge musical
Filmmaker Aditya Chopra has made his debut as a director on Broadway with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge-inspired Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical. Produced by Yash Raj Films, the musical stars Jena Pandya as Simran and Ashley Day as Rog.
Released in 1995, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge launched Shah Rukh Khan into superstardom. It gave Shah Rukh his romantic hero image that he made his own over the next two decades. The film was directed by Aditya Chopra and also starred Kajol, Amrish Puri, Parmeet Sethi, Mandira Bedi, Anupam Kher, and Farida Jalal. The show made its UK premiere at Manchester Opera House on May 29 2025, and ran until June 21.
