Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus ‘Bajirao Mastani’ broke all records at the box office after its release and received as 7 National Film Awards. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer historical romance drama became the 29th highest-grossing Indian film of all time. But did you know that Bhansali initially had Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in his mind as Bajirao and Mastani? Yes, you read that right! Sanjay wanted to make this film with ex-couple Salman and Aish but things did not work out.
It is being said that after the Sultan actor heard about Aish’s decision to not work with him, he went to SLB’s office and asked him to cast Katrina as Mastani. However, the filmmaker was not convinced about casting Kat and there he dropped the idea to make the film back then. Sanjay Leela Bhansali had earlier revealed that he never thought ‘Bajirao Mastani’ would have made and that too with DeepVeer. In an interview, he spoke about how this film chose Ranveer, Deepika, and Priyanka Chopra. “Today who would expect Ranveer and Deepika to be a part of the cast, 12 or 15 years later. They must be in school when I announced the film. It was Salman first and it didn’t work out,” Bhansali was quoted saying.
After the stupendous success of Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay went on to make two more historical movies ‘Ram Leela’ and ‘Padmaavat’ with Ranveer and Deepika. ALSO READ: WHAT! FAKE Video Showing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Her Daughter Aaradhya With Salman Khan Surfaces Online; Angry Fans Say, ‘This Is So Disrespectful
Having released on 18 December 2015, Bajirao Mastani saw Ranveer in the role of Bajirao I: The Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. On the other hand, Deepika played Mastani, Bajirao's second wife. Priyanka Chopra essayed the role of Kashibai-Bajirao's first wife.
