Not Kajol, Karan Johar Originally Planned To Pair THIS Actress With Shah Rukh Khan In Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Karan Johar had hoped to see Aishwarya Rai in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', but the role went to Kajol instead.

Karan said in an interview that he originally envisioned Aishwarya Rai as Anjali. ( Image Source :Instagram/@karanjohar & IMDb )

New Delhi: Over time, Karan Johar's ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ has amassed a tremendous fan base. The movie is a contemporary Hindi cinema classic because of the stellar performances of its lead actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. Despite the fact that SRK and Kajol's chemistry on-screen was adored, Karan said in an interview that he originally envisioned Aishwarya Rai as Anjali.

Karan Johar had previously told in an interview with Komal Nahta, “When I was casting for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, I got to know that Kajol won’t be able to do the film because she was married and maybe she wanted to start a family. I thought I will approach Aishwarya. On that particular day, at 3 p.m. I reached Kajol’s studio and I thought she will say no, we will shed some tears and I will leave. I, of course, felt bad because Kajol had already worked with me.”

He added, “But I don’t know what changed, Kajol actually wanted to do the film. So, I did not go to meet Aishwarya. But Aishwarya was my choice and after that, the series of ‘missing’ started.”

Later, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also discussed this with DNA. She said, “He (Karan Johar) did come to me with K3G also but then, his script went in for a change. So the character did change. I know that for sure because I know what was narrated to me and what I saw on screen eventually was different. Of course, Kajol was fabulous. But that also went and I could not do it.”

The family drama, which stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as the central protagonists, centres on Rahul, who leaves his father's side and moves to London in order to start over. Years later, his now-adult younger brother Rohan sets out on a journey to find Rahul and put the family back together.

'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' was released in 2001 and still regarded as one of the classics in Indian cinema.