Mumbai, Dec 28 (IANS) Years ago, when a shy, 18-year-old Benazir visited India for the first time, she was bowled over by an unusual proposal. Well-known Bollywood comedian, the late I.S. Johar, offered her the lead role in a Hindi movie.

'The incident happened in 1972 when Benazir had accompanied her father Z.A. Bhutto for the historic Shimla talks in the wake of the India-Pakistan war the previous year,' recalled Bollywood historian Amar Solanki Friday.

A veteran Gujarati film director himself, Solanki told IANS that Johar always courted controversy. 'By making the offer to Benazir, he shot to prominence in India, Pakistan and even Bangladesh which had been created in the aftermath of the war,' he said.

However, Benazir politely declined Johar's proposal, saying she was destined for a different role in life.