Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are two of the most gorgeous actresses in the Hindi film industry. Both the actresses have worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in three films. While Aishwarya has collaborated with the director in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Devdas (2002), and Gujaarish (2010); Bhansali has directed Deepika in Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015), and Padmaavat (2018).
The multiple National Award-winning filmmaker had actually wanted to make Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat with Aishwarya. Bhansali had announced Bajirao Mastani in 2003 with Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the titular roles but the project was indefinitely shelved after their much-publicised breakup. Also, the filmmaker wanted to make Padmaavat with Aishwarya as Queen Padmavati and Shah Rukh Khan as Allaudin Khilji, but the Jawan actor declined the movie as he didn't wish to glorify a murderer like Khilji.
The former Miss World confirmed that she was offered these two films in an interview with SpotBoyE in 2018. She said, "He (Bhansali) didn’t get the Bajirao for me. He wanted me to do Padmaavat, but could not get the Khilji for me, at the casting time. So, that’s how it didn’t happen. At the end of the day, you need to see the casting. If the casting is not happening, then sometimes, it doesn’t come together. The intention is always there to work together, but it didn’t happen. We both loved working with each other, so let’s see, whenever it is meant to be."
Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat collectively earned around Rs 947 crore at the worldwide box office. It will be interesting to see who, among Deepika and Aishwarya, gets her fourth film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The director's next movie is Love & War starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal. It is slated to release on March 20, 2026, on the occasion of Eid.
READ | Aishwarya Rai's brilliant answer that made her win Miss World 1994 goes viral: 'We have to look beyond...'
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