DYK Salman Khan was once almost cast to play Aishwarya Rai’s brother in THIS film while they were dating? Here’s what happened

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s love story was one of Bollywood’s most talked-about romances in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s love story was one of Bollywood’s most talked-about romances in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The two reportedly fell in love while working together on the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), where their sizzling on-screen chemistry mirrored their off-screen connection.

Their relationship quickly became the subject of intense media attention, with fans rooting for the union of two of Bollywood’s biggest stars. Amidst this, Salman was once chosen to play Aishwarya’s brother in a film.

Aishwarya Rai revealed how Salman Khan was almost cast as her brother in a film

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai
Back in 2000, Aishwarya Rai romanced Chandrachur Singh in the film, Josh, which was directed by Mansoor Khan. She played the role of SRK’s sister in the film. Even though the film failed to impress the audience, the casting became the talk of the town. Interestingly, it was for the first time that Shah Rukh and Aishwarya shared the screen space, but not as lovers. Instead, they played the role of brother-sister in Josh. However, not many know that Salman Khan was the first choice to play Aishwarya’s brother in the film.

In an old interview, Aishwarya Rai revealed that Mansoor Khan had initially planned to cast Salman Khan and Aamir Khan in one of his films. Speaking to an entertainment portal, Aishwarya shared that while her role in the movie was already finalised, the director wanted Salman to replace Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir to step in for Chandrachur Singh.

She said, “I think the cast was meant to be Aamir [Khan] and Salman at one point, and eventually it became Shah Rukh and I think Aamir (Khan) at some point was to play Chandrachur (Singh)’s role. So the cast kept changing at different points of time but Sherly remained Sherly. So I had said yes to Mansoor (Khan).”

Salman Khan & Aishwarya Rai almost came together for Bajirao Mastani

Salman Khan & Aishwarya Rai
Sanjay Leela Bhansali initially envisioned Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai as the lead pair for his magnum opus Bajirao Mastani. At the time, rumours swirled that Aishwarya had walked out of the film, unwilling to share the screen with Salman after their highly publicised breakup. However, in an interview on Koffee With Karan, Aishwarya addressed the real reason behind her decision not to take on the project.

She revealed that after the success of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, where both she and Salman delivered memorable performances, Bhansali was eager to bring them together again for Bajirao Mastani. However, circumstances ultimately led her to decline the offer, leaving fans wondering what could have been.

Sharing why things didn’t work out, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan said: “He (Sanjay) did see us working as the cast that he saw was ideal for the film. But circumstantially, I could not work with the kind of team he was looking at.”

Aishwarya Rai shared that she was willing to take on the role of ‘Mastani’ but was reluctant to act alongside her ex, Salman Khan. She further explained that shortly after, rumours began circulating that she had walked out of Bajirao Mastani. Aishwarya clarified that at the time, she was hospitalised and unable to address the speculation, leaving the reports unchallenged.