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Shah Rukh Khan once admitted that he felt deeply upset when Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was replaced in his film Chalte chalte. In Bollywood, movies often bring fresh on-screen pairings for the audience, but at times, sudden casting changes can also leave hearts broken. A similar incident took place during the making of Chalte chalte. While the film eventually featured Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles, not many know that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was originally chosen as the female lead.

Aishwarya Rai was initially cast as the lead actress, and filming had already begun with her. However, complications arose due to her then-boyfriend, Salman Khan, who allegedly caused disruptions on set. As a result, Shah Rukh Khan decided to replace Aishwarya with Rani Mukerji.

Shah Rukh Khan expressed regret over replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

A few months ago, a video of Shah Rukh Khan went viral on Reddit, where he spoke about the regret he felt for replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in his film Chalte chalte. He shared that Aishwarya is a close friend and that they had worked together on some remarkable films. However, due to certain circumstances, he had no choice but to let her go from that project. In his words:

“Very saddened at the fact that Aishwarya was a very close friend, I have done some really marvelous films with her and I genuinely mean that. She has been one of my favourite co-actresses and we’ve done some really nice work-Josh, Mohabbatein, Devdas-and enjoyed together, and we get along really well. Personally, it is very saddening not to… for something to reach at this level. I feel very sorry about it and I genuinely do.”

Shah Rukh Khan confessed that he felt powerless during that period

In the same video, SRK shared that his hands were tied since he wasn’t the sole producer of the film. A team of 10–12 people was involved, and a lot was at stake. The production house and the team couldn’t afford to risk everything for just one actor. SRK clarified that the decision was purely professional. He explained:

“As a producer, my hands were tied because I am not the only producer. I have a team of people and this time we also have UTV who is working with us. The collective decision of 10-11 people. We were also not doing very well as producers. That was at stake. The whole company’s reputation is at stake, we wanted to finish the film in three to four months. Personally, if you ask me, Aishwarya is very professional but I think we were a little saddened by the whole affair and we thought it wasn’t meant to be. It was not superstition, it was a professional decision and even professionally we feel very bad. There’s no two ways about it.”

What led to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being replaced in the film Chalte chalte?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was originally cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Chalte chaltebut she was later replaced by Rani Mukerji. Reports suggest the change happened after her then-boyfriend, Salman Khan, created disruptions on set, leading to delays and tension. Although both Aishwarya and Salman eventually apologised to SRK, the producers were concerned about potential issues resurfacing. With the film running on a strict timeline, the team decided to replace Aishwarya with Rani Mukerji.