Not Aamir Khan, this actor was first choice for Rang De Basanti; Makers mistakenly thought of Sholay 2, wanted to cast Esha Deol as Basanti

Rang De Basanti became a career-defining movie for everyone involved in the project, including Aamir Khan, who had already experienced many of those moments in his career. He portrayed the iconic character DJ/Chandrashekhar Azad, who, along with his group of friends, chose to fight against the country’s corrupt and unjust system. But did you know that Aamir Khan, who made that character remarkable, was not the first choice for this project?

Not Aamir Khan, But This Actor Was The First Choice For DJ

In an interview with Ravya Sarda on her YouTube show, renowned screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey shared numerous anecdotes from behind the scenes and the development process and revealed that Manoj Bajpayee was originally intended to play the role of DJ. He said, “We had been presenting the film’s script for six years, and no one was willing to produce it. We had signed Manoj for the role that ultimately went to Aamir. Our initial plan was to make a small film since we didn’t have a large budget. As soon as Aamir heard the script, he expressed his desire to take on the project and even brought AR Rahman on board. UTV, which had previously rejected the film twice, immediately agreed to move forward.”

Pandey further mentioned that people in the film industry were not taking the script seriously and lacked clarity regarding the narrative. “Producers thought this was a remake of Sholay from Basanti’s perspective. They would mock it and ask who would play Basanti, to which I would answer, rather straight-faced, that we were considering casting Esha Deol. They took it seriously, and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or get angry at their responses.”

When Randeep Hooda Rejected The Iconic Role Of…

Another casting change that could have impacted the final film was Randeep Hooda’s decision not to take on the role of Karan (Bhagat Singh). In a podcast hosted by Shubhankar Mishra, Hooda mentioned that he regretted passing up the opportunity, explaining that he initially declined because he did not want to play a supporting role next to Aamir. 

Helmed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the action-drama featured a talented cast, including Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Soha Ali Khan, R. Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, Alice Patten, Anupam Kher, Waheeda Rehman, KK Raina and Kirron Kher. The film was produced with a budget of Rs 28 crore. After its release, it earned Rs 53 crore in India alone, while its total global earnings reached Rs 97 crore. Additionally, it received a nomination for a BAFTA in the foreign film category.

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