Aziz Mirza remembers changing Aishwarya Rai with Rani Mukerji in Shah Rukh Khan’s Chalte Chalte: ‘Issues didn’t pan out the best way we hoped’

Director Aziz Mirza just lately mirrored on a significant casting change in his 2003 romantic drama Chalte Chalte, which initially started filming with Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan within the lead. Nonetheless, Aishwarya was later changed by Rani Mukerji, and in a brand new interview, the filmmaker addressed the long-standing hypothesis across the choice.
Chatting with Radio Nasha, Mirza was requested what went unsuitable with Aishwarya. Selecting his phrases rigorously, he replied, “I don’t know. Anyway, these are the areas we sadly…” trailing off with out revealing a lot. He confirmed that they’d shot solely the music “Prem Nagariya” along with her, including that it was a one-day shoot. “Sadly, issues didn’t pan out the best way we had hoped, after which Rani got here on board,” he shared.
Whereas the precise causes stay unspoken by the director, it’s broadly believed that the alternative was linked to Aishwarya’s then-relationship with Salman Khan, who allegedly disrupted the shoot, prompting the filmmakers to rethink their casting.

Chalte Chalte additionally marked the primary time Mirza didn’t forged Juhi Chawla reverse Shah Rukh Khan, a staple pairing in his earlier three movies. On why he made that change, he mentioned it was merely a need to point out audiences one thing new. “I simply thought individuals may wish to see somebody completely different,” he defined. He added that Juhi would have finished an important job too, however was fast to reward Rani, saying she was “nearly as good as ever.”

A clip of Shah Rukh Khan had beforehand resurfaced, by which the famous person expressed remorse over Aishwarya’s exit. He acknowledged that the selection wasn’t private however knowledgeable one made collectively by the movie’s producers. “As a producer, my arms have been tied… the entire firm’s fame was at stake,” he mentioned. He additional described Aishwarya as “very skilled” and admitted that “even professionally we really feel very unhealthy… there’s no two methods about it.”