Did You Know Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Was The FIRST Choice For THESE Films?

Birthday girl Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's first choice for 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Padmaavat'.

Birthday Special: Did You Know Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Was The FIRST Choice For THESE Films? (Source- Instagram)

New Delhi: Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who turned 48 on Monday (November 1), has featured in blockbuster films 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas', which directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The two also collaborated for 'Guzaarish' starring Aishwarya and actor Hrithik Roshan in lead roles. Although the film did not fare well on screen, it received a lot of critical acclaimation. 

Had things been in line, the Bhansali-Rai duo would also have collaborated for his blockbuster projects 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Padmaavat'. The 'Taal' actress had already given her nod for the projects but Bhansali could not find a suitable co-star for her.

During an interview with SpotboyE, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had revealed, "He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) didn't get the Bajirao for me. He wanted me to do Padmaavat but couldn't get the Khilji for me, at the casting time. So, that's how it didn't happen. So, at the end of the day, you need to see the casting. If the casting is not happening, then sometimes, it doesn't come together. The intention is always there to work together, but it didn’t happen. We both loved working with each other, so let’s see, whenever it is meant to be.”

Well, this is not the first instance where the 'Guru' actress was the first choice of the filmmakers. In a career spanning over two decades, Aishwarya has a list of movies where she was offered the lead role but as luck would not have it, the roles were later offered to other Bollywood divas.

Here is a list of all the movies where the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' actor was the fimmakers' first preference:

'Bajirao Mastani'

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali had planned the movie right after the success of his blockbuster film 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' with Salman and Aishwarya in the lead roles. But when things went berserk after the duo's break-up, Bhansali dropped the idea. Years later when he approached Aishwarya for the role and she agreed, Bhansali couldn't find a suitable cast for her. The same issue happened during Padmaavat as well. Both the films were then offered to actor Deepika Padukone who nailed each role with her magnanimous performance.

'Chalte Chalte'

This SRK starrer film initially had Aishwarya in the lead role. The cast had even begun shooting but Aishwarya was dropped out of the project owing to her then boyfriend Salman Khan's problematic behaviour on the sets. Actor Rani Mukherji bagged the role and was applauded by the audience for her performance.

'Veer Zaara'

Yash Raj Films' 'Veer-Zaara' is lauded as one of the most romantic films of Bollywood. The film starring actors Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherji in lead roles went on to win the Most Popular Film award at the National Film Awards. Aishwarya was the first choice for the role of lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui, which later went to Rani Mukherji.

'Bhool Bhulaiya'

The dynamic role of Manjulika performed by Vidya Balan was first offered to the 'Jazbaa' actor who turned down the offer saying no to the haunted role. The film was a box office success with Vidya bagging all the appreciation.

'Heroine'

Madhur Bhandakar wanted to have Aishwarya as his 'Heroine' in the movie. But the actor had to drop out of the project due to her unexpected pregnancy. As per reports, there was also a huge spat between the two as the project was announced amid much fanfare at Cannes Film Festival.

'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'

Unlike other newcomers in the industry, Aishwarya's date diary was always packed with multiple films in her kitty. The actor's role in the film was later offered to Kajol. 

Here's wishing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan a very happy birthday!

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