Did you know? Saif Ali Khan was to play the iconic Chunilal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s blockbuster ‘Devdas’ but was replaced by Jackie Shroff.
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Saif Ali Khan was offered to essay the character, which eventually went to Shroff, however, the actor revealed that Bhansali and he were in the middle of negotiations when the latter moved on.
When asked in an earlier interview why he refused the ‘supporting’ role in ‘Devdas’ but did it in ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’, Khan revealed that it was not him who turned down the film but was actually replaced. However, he maintained that his part in ‘RHTDM’ was ‘much cooler’ than what was offered by Bhansali.
“Though Sanjay Bhansali thinks I’m silly, let me make it very clear that I didn’t turn him down. There was a miscommunication between us on the price,” he told the interviewer.
Khan continued, “Also, let me clarify that I didn’t ask for an obscene sum of money. Without getting back to me and discussing the price, Sanjay closed the chapter. Nobody even told me that the negotiations were off till I called back to find out what was happening.”
“I felt I’d be hopelessly miscast as Chunilal. I didn’t think the role suited Motilal either in Bimal Roy’s Devdas. But at least, Motilal and Chunilal rhyme,” he added with a chuckle.
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One of the biggest commercial and critical successes, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romance drama was based on the same-titled novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It starred a hit pair of then, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles of Devdas and Paro respectively, while Madhuri Dixit essayed the tailored role of Chandramukhi.
While it opened to mixed reviews from critics, the cult hit was a major commercial success emerging as the highest-grossing film of the year and also bagged several accolades.
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