Not Aamir Khan, but this actor was the first choice for Rang De Basanti, his name is…

‘Rang De Basanti’ became a pivotal film for everyone involved, including Aamir Khan, who had already created many wonders in his career. He played the memorable character DJ/Chandrashekhar Azad, who, with his friends, decided to stand up against the corrupt and unjust system in the country. However, did you know that Aamir Khan, who made that role so special, was not the first choice for this film?

Manoj Bajpayee Was Initially Chosen For Rang De Basanti

In a conversation with Ravya Sarda on her YouTube show, famous screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey shared several stories from behind the scenes and the film’s development. He revealed that Manoj Bajpayee was originally set to play DJ. He stated, “We had been trying to get the film’s script produced for six years, but no one was interested. We had signed Manoj for the role that Aamir eventually took. Our original idea was to create a small film due to our limited budget. Once Aamir heard the script, he showed interest in the project and even brought AR Rahman on board. UTV, which had turned down the film twice before, quickly agreed to proceed.”

Pandey also noted that many in the film industry were not taking the script seriously and were unclear about the story. “Producers thought this was a remake of Sholay from Basanti’s viewpoint. They would ridicule it and ask who would play Basanti, to which I would respond, rather seriously, that we were thinking of casting Esha Deol. They took it at face value, and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be upset at their reactions.

More About Rang De Basanti

Released in 2006, ‘Rang De Basanti’ tells the story of a group of carefree friends who become rebellious and confront government with bold action to protest against corruption in India after their friends tragic demise. In addition to Aamir Khan, the film stars Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, and British actress Alice Patten, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

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