When Aishwarya Rai Revealed She Was The 1st Choice For Bhansali's Khamoshi: 'I Kept Thinking What If'

Manisha Koirala and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are working together again in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar and people are loving it. They have a history, that goes back to his first movie Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996, in which Koirala starred opposite Salman Khan. But, did you know who Bhansali originally wanted for a role in Khamoshi? Aishwarya Rai said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama that Bhansali thought of casting her.

“At one point, Sanjay considered casting me for Khamoshi. But I’d just gone for the (Miss India) pageant. He told me this before we started shooting for Hum Dil (De Chuke Sanam). I’d visited the sets of Dholi Taaro for a recce. When I was walking, my hair was all wavy. He looked at me and said, ‘You know, this is the way I saw you in Khamoshi.’ Then he and Anil Mehta (cinematographer) smiled. And I was like, ‘Really?’ I loved Khamoshi. I loved the music. I was like, ‘Really, Sanjay? You wanted me to be in Khamoshi?’ He said, ‘It’s okay ya, you went and became Miss World.’ And I said, ‘But I lost Khamoshi.’ I kept humming all the songs and thinking what if, what if…,” she said.

But Aishwarya Rai was cast in Bhansali’s next movie, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), where she acted alongside her then-boyfriend Salman Khan, who had been paired with Manisha in Khamoshi. After that, Aishwarya worked with Bhansali in Devdas (2002) and Guzaarish (2010).

In a recent interview with Galatta India, Manisha looked back at how she landed Khamoshi. “Sanjay asked me to read a script. I said, ‘Okay, han de de yar (yes, give it). And I told him that his script had magic. It was so poignant, so beautiful. He didn’t want me then. He wanted either Madhuri ji or Kajol. So I said, ‘Agar ye dono na karein na, toh main karungi’ (If they don’t do it, I will). I was very happy that others didn’t do it, and I got the chance,” Manisha said.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Sehgal and Sanjeeda Sheikh as tawaifs. The series also stars Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman in the roles of the Nawabs.