An old interview of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has recently gone viral on Indian media in which the actor shares why she refused the role of Tina Malhotra in Bollywood’s iconic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The role which was finally played by Rani Mukherji was also offered to Twinkle Khanna and Karisma Kapoor besides Rai.
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“I’m in a catch-22 situation, really,” says Aishwarya in the video, which initially came out a year after the film released. “Though I’m a newcomer, I’m [being] compared [to] all senior actresses.”
“If I’d done the film, it would have been tittered that, ‘Look, Aishwarya Rai is back to doing what she did in her modelling days — leaving her hair straight, wearing minis, and pouting glamorously into the camera.’ Ultimately, the hero goes back to the more real person.”
“I know if I’d done Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I would have been lynched,” she added.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which released in 1998, featured Sharukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherji in the lead. It was directed by Karan Johar and produced by Yash Johar. The film was a box office hit and went onto receive many accolades. It has also been listed as one of Bollywood’s most iconic films of all times.