‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Main Hoon Na’: Top five films rejected by Hrithik Roshan

One person’s loss is often another person’s gain and this holds true in Bollywood too. There have been many examples of actors rejecting or not taking up offers of films that fall into someone else’s lap and then go on to become blockbusters. The Greek God of Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan, too, has refused to be a part of a lot of films. Take a look…

Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Swades’, which starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, was reportedly first offered to Hrithik Roshan by the filmmaker. Talking about rejecting the role, Hrithik had told TOI, “I had read Ashutosh’s script for 'Swades'. I couldn’t see it from the director’s perspective and therefore didn’t think I was equipped to perform the part. I wasn’t the best person to translate Ashutosh’s vision. And this was right after 'Lagaan', so when Ashutosh came to me, I felt on top of the world. 'Swades' is one of my favourite films and Ashutosh is definitely one of my favourite filmmakers”.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Rang De Basanti’ is now considered to be a cult film. But not many know that Hrithik Roshan was offered the role of Karan Singhania in the movie. Although the actor had read the script and loved it, he reportedly did not have the time to do it. After him, actors like Arjun Rampal and Shah Rukh Khan were also offered the role. It was eventually played by Siddharth.

Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is an all-time favourite of all film buffs. While Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Saif Ali Khan were fabulous in their roles, did you know that this was not the cast that the director had in mind when he started the film? In an interview with Neha Dhupia, Farhan revealed that he wanted Akshaye to play the role of Akash, Hrithik Roshan to play the role of Sameer, and Abhishek Bachchan to play Sid. Well, that would have been interesting, no?

We all loved the brotherly camaraderie shared by Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in Karan Johar’s ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..!’ The two actors were all set to be cast as brothers in Farah Khan’s ‘Main Hoon Na’ too. However, Hrithik did not accept the offer because of his character’s carefree nature. The role was later taken up by his ex-brother-in-law, Zayed Khan.

Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan make for a stunning on-screen jodi. The actors have impressed with their sizzling chemistry in films like, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and ‘Dhoom 2’. Reports were rife that along with Aishwarya, the makers of ‘Pink Panther 2’ had also approached Hrithik. While Aishwarya ended up accepting the offer, Hrithik rejected it citing a busy schedule.