When Kajol declined Aishwarya Rai’s role in “Josh”
When Kajol declined Aishwarya Rai’s role in “Josh”
Mansoor Khan directorial 2000 cult film Josh. depicted an intense rivalry amid two street gangs, the Eagles and the Bichhoos, intertwined with themes of family and compassion.
Although Shah Rukh Khan led the Eagles as Max, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played his twin sister Shirley, earning widespread acclaim.
However, filmmaker Mansoor Khan recently revealed that initially Kajol was approached for the role of Shirley but rejected it for an unexpected reason.
In a chat with a News Channel, Mansoor recounted narrating the film to Kajol hoping she would play Max’s sister.
Mansoor quipped that this is the ultimate sacrilege, after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
However, Kajol had other plans. After hearing the story, she got up and was ready to leave her house. She , ‘Kajol, are you doing the film?’ She said, ‘No, she wanted to play Max.’ Then she walked out,” Mansoor shared, laughing.
Luckily for Mansoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stepped into the role of Shirley and delivered a memorable performance. Mansoor praised her as a “thoroughly professional” actor who never complained and described Josh as one of her best films.
The casting for Josh wasn’t just challenging for Shirley’s role. Mansoor revealed that Shah Rukh Khan initially declined the role of Max due to casting confusion.
Mansoor explained, whemhen he narrated the story to Aamir Khan he assumed that he was playing Max.” This misunderstanding led Shah Rukh to believe that Aamir was already cast in the film, prompting him to back out initially. However, after clarifying the roles, SRK agreed, and the rest is history.
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Mansoor also shared that he had considered Aamir Khan for the role of Rahul Sharma, eventually played by Chandrachur Singh.
His thought was, both characters are equally important,” he explained, adding that securing the final cast was a challenging process.
Deslllthese hurdles, Josh turned out to be a commercial success, with its unique storyline, memorable performances, and iconic music.
News Edit KV Raman
