5 Bollywood Films Rejected by Top Stars: Roles That Could Have Changed Their Careers

By ankita bose Nov 15, 2025, 22:24 IST

Bollywood is a myriad of films and with films come unlimited roles. What stands out is the remarkable roles of some movies that have touched the sky height of success. Popular actors from Shah Rukh Khan to Salman Khan have rejected some projects which turned out to be a massive hit. Check out the list below to find out which films and roles could have had a completely different outcome if these actors had just said YES.

5. Salman Khan

  • Film: Chak De India
  • Role: Kabir Khan
  • The Final Choice: Shah Rukh Khan

According to the reports of Times of India the role of Kabir Khan in the film Chak De India was first offered to Salman Khan. However, he rejected the film because he had some issue with the climax of the film. As we know now that this film went to be one of SRK’s most widely popular films of all time. The film also won the title of Best Popular Film in the National Film Award. This further added on to the huge success of the film.

4. Aamir Khan

  • Film: Mohabbatein
  • Role: Raj Aryan Malhotra
  • The Final Choice: Shah Rukh Khan

The sweater, the violin, and the handsome spectacles could have been a getup of Aamir Khan if he had accepted the film. The heart-throb character Raj Aryan Malhotra was offered to Aamir Khan first based on the reports of Film Companion. The reason for the denial is not disclosed however the film went to portray the legendary SRK opposite to Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

3. Kangana Ranaut

  • Film: Padmaavat
  • Role: Rani Padmavati
  • The Final Choice: Deepika Padukone

The spectacular role of Rani Padmavati was offered to Kangana Ranaut in the initial days of the project. The grand production was rejected by Kangana due to her schedule and she already had her commitment to other projects at the time. She also mentioned that the creative vision has also had differences. The role eventually was led by Deepika Padukone that earned her various critical acclaim for her strong performance.

Also read: Top 10 Highest-Grossing Indian Films of 2025 ft. Kantara: Chapter 1 - Trade Brains Entertainment

2. Katrina Kaif

  • Film: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
  • Role: Naina Talwar
  • The Final Choice: Deepika Padukone

The studious role of Naina Talwar was once offered to Katrina Kaif. According to several bollywood news sources the reason for rejecting was her schedule. The role eventually landed on to Deepika’s lap and the rest is history. The on screen chemistry of Deepika and Ranbir became one of the fan favourites after the release and the film was also a huge box office success.

1. ​Shah Rukh Khan

  • Film: 3 Idiots
  • Role: Rancho
  • The Final Choice: Aamir Khan

In the direction of Rajkumar Hirani the film 3 Idiots was initially offered to Shah Rukh Khan for the role of Rancho. The character that is now known to many engineering students around the globe. However, the rejection was due to SRK’s injuries that he got from unforeseen circumstances. Later, Rancho went on to have the face of Aamir and the performance he delivered in the film was that of a lifetime. The film went on to earn a whooping ₹350 crore globally and was a major success.

Final Take

Though these actors have rejected the roles, the actors that went on to take the roles have done such great work that it is hard to imagine anyone else now. The show must go on right? Sad that these actors didn’t choose the film but they have their reasons. All that the audience can do is celebrate the ones that have taken the role and made it an incredible widespread success.