‘One man’s loss is another man’s gain.’ Whoever said this knew exactly what it meant. The saying goes very well for the many films that were initially offered to Salman Khan but ended up making someone else a bigger star.
Baazigar
Baazigar was Shahrukh Khan‘s breakthrough role that launched him into the league of Bollywood Stars. But you may be surprised to know that the role was initially offered to Salman Khan. Apparently, Salman was the first choice of the director Abbas-Mastan but he rejected it as the anti-hero role was risky. The negative role earned SRK a Filmfare Award for Best Actor!
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
The most iconic romantic movie of Bollywood Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is another movie that Salman refused for some unknown reasons. Had he known that DDLJ will go on to complete 1000 weeks, he would have thought twice!
Josh
Can’t you totally imagine Salman Khan as Max Dias in Josh? Apparently, the director also thought so but Salman refused to be a part of the film. Some say that it was due to date issues, but there are some who believe that Salman could never bear to play Aishwarya Rai‘s brother!
Kal Ho Na Ho
Salman was also offered the role of Aman (later played by Saif Ali Khan) in Kal Ho Na Ho. Perhaps the thought of being just a supporting actor to Shah Rukh Khan didn’t go so well with him. Saif Ali Khan won several awards for the film.
Chak De! India
Shah Rukh Khan’s much-acclaimed role as the coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team was first offered to Salman. Sadly, he rejected the role due to unknown reasons.
Ghajini
Now, this role was definitely made for Salman Khan in all senses. Though Aamir Khan did a superb job, Salman could have also pulled off the role well. In fact, Aamir himself recommended Salman’s name after reading the script. But the role ultimately fell into Aamir’s lap.
Salman was set to reunite with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali after 20 years. The romantic drama movie was supposed to star Alia Bhatt opposite Salman. Everything was on track, and even the release date was locked until the news broke that the movie had been shelved. Salman is no longer a part of the project due to alleged creative differences.