In Bollywood, films often give the audience the opportunity to see new people together, but sometimes it even breaks hearts, when an actor is replaced. A similar situation happened during the making of the film, Chalte Chalte. The film starred Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji in lead but what many people don’t know is that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the original choice of the film.
Aishwarya was chosen as the lead actress and filming had begun with her, when problems started to arise because of Aishwarya’s then-boyfriend, Salman Khan. Reportedly, he created issues on the set, which forced Shah Rukh Khan to replace Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Rani Mukerji.
Shah Rukh Khan felt bad while replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Months ago, a video of SRK went viral on the social media platform, Reddit, in which he had expressed his sadness on replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from his film, Chalte Chalte. He had mentioned that Aishwarya is his close friend and they had done some very good films together but he had to let her go for that film due to some reasons. In his words:
“Very saddened at the fact that Aishwarya was a very close friend, I have done some really marvelous films with her and I genuinely mean that. She has been one of my favourite co-actresses and we’ve done some really nice work-Josh, Mohabbatein, Devdas-and enjoyed together, and we get along really well. Personally, it is very saddening not to… for something to reach at this level. I feel very sorry about it and I genuinely do.”
Shah Rukh Khan admitted being helpless at that time
In the same video, SRK had also mentioned that his hands were tied as he wasn’t the only producer of the film. There was a team of 10-12 people and there was a lot at stake. The team and the production company couldn’t risk everything just for an actor. SRK mentioned that the decision was taken professionally. He explained:
“As a producer, my hands were tied because I am not the only producer. I have a team of people and this time we also have UTV who is working with us. The collective decision of 10-11 people. We were also not been doing very well as producers. That was at stake. The whole company’s reputation is at stake, we wanted to finish the film in three to four months. Personally, if you ask me, Aishwarya is very professional but I think we were a little sadden by the whole affair and we thought it wasn’t meant to be. It was not superstition, it was a professional decision and even professionally we feel very bad. There’s no two ways about it.”
Why was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan replaced from the film, Chalte Chalte?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was initially chosen to star opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the film, Chalte Chalte, but was later replaced by Rani Mukerji. According to reports, she was replaced because her then-boyfriend, Salman Khan created an issue on the set, which caused delays and tensions. Even though, Aishwarya and Salman later apologised to SRK, the producers feared similar interruptions in the future. Since the team was on a tight schedule, they decided to drop Aishwarya and move ahead with Rani Mukerji.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan’s relationship
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan‘s relationship was one of the most talked about love-stories. They met on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, where their on-screen chemistry soon turned into a real-life romance. In no time, fans were obsessed with their jodi.
Despite being so much in love, Salman’s alleged possessiveness often made headlines. After a few years, their relationship ended on a bitter note. Aishwarya had mentioned that she was fed up with Salman’s alcoholism and misbehaviour. She even felt harassed by persistent calls and visits after their breakup.
The incident of Chalte Chalte remains one of the most talked-about moments in Bollywood history. While the movie went on to become a hit with Rani Mukerji, fans often wonder what it would have been like to see SRK and Aishwarya together in the film. What are your thoughts on this?
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