Shah Rukh Khan starrer Devdas was released in 2002, and it continues to be the classic film of all time. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film is based on the 1917 novel of the same name written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The storyline revolves around 'Devdas Mukherjee', a wealthy man, who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, 'Parvati'. However, his family rejects their marriage, which sparks his alcoholism. Apart from SRK, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit also play the lead in the film.
For those who don't know, Aishwarya Rai was not the first choice for Devdas. Kareena Kapoor once claimed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali removed her from the film after signing the contract. She mentioned that she was supposed to play 'Paro', but was eventually replaced by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the movie. Kareena was so hurt by Sanjay after he suddenly replaced her that she vowed never to work with him ever again. Thus, the rivalry between Kareena Kapoor and Sanjay Leela Bhansali began and it continues to date.
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Back in 2002, in an interview with Filmfare, Kareena Kapoor was asked about her plans to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Reflecting on what happened between them, the actress claimed that she would never work with the filmmaker ever again. Bebo revealed that SLB screen-tested her for Devdas and even gave her a signing amount, but dropped out later. She said:
“I’ll never. What he did to me was wrong. He screen-tested me for Devdas, gave me a signing amount, then took someone else. That was wrong, it hurt especially because I was at the start of my career. It’s okay, because the day he dropped me, I signed Yaadein. Sanjay hurt me. Even if I have no work, I’ll never work with him.”
However, according to a report in Filmfare, Sanjay Leela Bhansali later clarified his stance and shared that Kareena Kapoor's allegations against him were baseless. He shared that he never promised Kareena that he would give her a role in Devdas. The director recalled that since he hadn't seen her work, he told her that he wanted to see her capabilities before casting her. Adding that Kareena's mother, Babita Kapoor, and sister, Karisma Kapoor were also present there, Bhansali said:
“She came to my house with Neeta Lulla and said she wanted to work with me… I told her that I hadn’t seen her work and that before casting her, I needed to see what she was capable of. We fixed up a photo shoot with the right costumes. Since Babitaji and Karisma Kapoor were also at the shoot, I made it clear to all of them that the shoot wasn’t a confirmation that I would cast Kareena. They were okay with that at the time."
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After seeing Kareena's photographs, Sanjay told the actress that he felt that Aishwarya Rai was the perfect fit for the role of 'Paro' in the film, Devdas. However, some days later, he saw reports about him in the newspaper, wherein Kareena had lashed out at him, accusing him of backing out after having given her the signing amount and contract. Bhansali was quoted as saying:
"After going through the photographs, I told Kareena that I felt Aishwarya Rai was fabulous and perfect for Paro; she has the aristocratic looks I required. Kareena didn’t say a word then but some days later I found her lashing out at me in print. She accused me of backing out after having given her the signing amount and contract. Believe me, this is not true. She also said I didn’t know how to make films.”
What are your views about Kareena Kapoor's rift with Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
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