In Pictures – Bollywood Actors Who rejected Movies initially and Later Regretted

Aishwarya Rai

Heroine: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has started working on his ambitious project "Heroine", which was stalled after Aishwarya Rai announced her pregnancy. then Kareena Kapoor has replaced Aishwarya Rai in the film.

Salman Khan

Bazigar: Salman Khan was the first choice to play the anti-hero in Abbas-Mastan's blockbuster, Baazigar. But as fate would have it, he literally handed over the film to Shah Rukh Khan. The film not only established Shahrukh as a star but also fetched him many Awards for his iconic performance. Salman Khan was later heard quoting, “If I had done Baazigar then there would be no Mannat standing in Bandstand today.”

Hrithik Roshan

Bunty and Bubli: Hrithik Roshan was approached for the role of Bunty. Considering his previous release Mujhse Dosti Karoge with Yash Raj Productions, which fell flat at the box office, Hrithik decided to opt out of this movie. The role later went to Abhishek Bachchan. Abhishek was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Salman Khan

Chak De India: The Indian women hockey team's Chak De was first offered to Salman Khan but so unfortunate it was of Salman that he had no dates available. Chak De! India was a superhit not only at the box-office but also won critical acclaim bagging several awards. Shah Rukh Khan's portrayal of the patriotic coach is remembered as one of his finest performances till date.

Aamir Khan

Darr: Yash Chopra wanted to cast Ajay Devgn in Darr, but since he didn't get any response, the film went to Aamir Khan. But Aamir decided to not do the film, and ultimately, Darr found its villain in Shahrukh Khan.

Hrithik Roshan

Dil Chahta Hai: Farhan Akhtar originally wrote the movie keeping in mind Hrithik Roshan as Sidhharth. After Hrithik turned down the role, it went to Abhishek Bachchan. But Abhishek too turned down the offer. After Abhishek, the role went to Aamir and Farhan Akhtar swapped the roles of Akhay Khanna and Aamir Khan. Hrithik and Farhan later came together in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Kareena Kapoor

Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai: The film which made Ameesha Patel an overnight star was initially offered to Kareena Kapoor Khan. But after shooting for a couple of days, Kareena walked out of the film as she thought the film focused more on Hrithik Roshan. Ameesha Patel was then offered this role which she gladly accepted. Till today, Kaho Na Pyar Hai is considered one of the most romantic movies ever.

Kareena Kapoor

Kal Ho Na Ho: Guess who was offered the role of the bubbly 'Naina' in Karan Johar's 'Kal Ho Na Ho'? Well, it was none other than Kareena Kapoor. Kareena's refusal made things turn sour between her and Karan Johar. The film was later offered to Preity Zinta to still considers 'Kal Ho Na Ho' her best film ever.

Salman Khan

Kal Ho Na Ho: Kal Ho Na Ho is one of those rare films which touched millions of hearts across the world. But Salman Khan turned down the offer as he didn't want to play the second fiddle to Shah Rukh Khan.

Shahrukh Khan

Lagan: Ashutosh Gowariker first offered Lagaan to Aamir Khan, who initially didn’t want to produce the film. He then went to Shah Rukh Khan, who wasn’t too keen either. Ashutosh then convinced Aamir. And Lagaan remains the only Oscar nominated Hindi film in the last 2 decades.

Shahid Kapoor

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola: Director Vishal Bhardwaj of "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola" first approached Shahid Kapoor for the film, but later finalised Imran Khan with Anushka Sharma.

Amitabh Bachchan

Mr. India: Shekhar Kapur's 'Mr. India' starring Anil Kapoor and Srivedi was originally written for Amitabh Bachchan. The film was also scripted keeping in mind Amitabh Bachchan's voice but Amitabh refused to be a part of the film and to do the 'invisible' role. Afterwards, Anil Kapoor accepted the offer and 'Mr. India' became a landmark movie in Anil's Bollywood career.

Shahrukh Khan

Munna Bhai MBBS: It’s hard to even imagine anyone else playing the iconic role of Munnabhi apart from Sanjay Dutt. But both Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted Shahrukh Khan for the film. Infact, Sanjay Dutt was to play the role of Zaheer, which eventually went to Jimmy Shergill.

Shahrukh Khan – Hrithik Roshan

Rang De Basanti: The classic Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film was also first offered to Shahrukh Khan, who wasn’t keen on doing the film. Hrithik Roshan had turned down was Aamir Khan-starrer Rang De Basanti. Hrithik wanted to play the role of DJ. But Aamir Khan had already been signed for the project and thus Hrithik backed out.