Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first choice for this film, which later became blockbuster and one of the highest-grossing films in 90s.
Aishwarya Rai is one of the biggest actresses we have in this country. She has been part of several movies and her every character has been an iconic one. However, the actress lost out on movies as well despite being one of the most popular stars. In a recent revelation, director Dharmesh Darshan shared that Aishwarya was his first choice to play the female lead in Raja Hindustani (1996), alongside Aamir Khan.
When Aishwarya Rai was offered a film opposite Aamir Khan but rejected it because…
The movie became one of the biggest hits of the 90s and cemented Aamir and Karisma’s on-screen chemistry. Dharmesh explained that Aishwarya was his initial choice for the role of Memsaab but she rejected it due to commitment to the Miss World pageant 1994. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, he said, “Aishwarya was also my first choice for the role of Memsaab in Raja Hindustani (1996). My heart was on her. But she urgently had to go for Miss World. I didn’t want to take any chances as I wanted an actress who could devote her full time to the film and Bollywood. It was her sheer grace that she didn’t hold it in her heart.”
Despite this, Dharmesh shared that he had a special admiration for Aishwarya’s grace and professionalism. He added that the actress understood the whole situation and did not hold any grudges.
Although, Aishwarya turned down Raja Hindustani but it made Karisma Kapoor a star. She won her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her stunning performance. The romantic drama also won about 12 awards, some of them including, Best Film, Best Actor to Aamir Khan, Best Music Director to Nadeem-Shravan, and Best Male Playback Singer to Udit Narayan. Not just a critical success, but it became a commercial success too. Made in Rs 5 crore, the film went on to earn Rs 76 crore. Moreover, one of the reasons behind its success was Nadeem-Shravan’s record-selling track with hits like Pardesi Pardesi, Pucho Zara Pucho, Aaye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein, and Kitna Pyaare Tujhe Rabne.
