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When Aishwarya Rai admitted being removed from multiple films despite box office success: ‘You’re confused and hurt’

In an old interview with Simi Garewal, Aishwarya Rai is heard talking about the time in early 2000s when she was removed from several films without an explanation, which happened to be starring Shah Rukh Khan.

By: Entertainment Desk
New Delhi | April 17, 2023 04:37 PM IST

3 min read

Aishwarya Rai seen here in a still from the show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been one of the shining stars of Indian cinema. But there was a time when even her fate worked against her as she was written off from multiple roles back-to-back despite hits and her position within Bollywood.

In an interview with Simi Garewal, Aishwarya had gotten candid about being removed from at least five movies, in which she was said to be working with Shah Rukh Khan. When Garewal, speaking of SRK, asked the actor about those films slipping away from her, Aishwarya smiled and said yes, she was supposed to be working in quite a few films together with Shah Rukh, but those did not pan out as she had hoped.

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“Yes, at the time, it was written that we would be working on a couple of films together, and then suddenly, they weren’t happening, with no explanations whatsoever,” Aishwarya told Simi, and said that she was not the one who had turned those offers down: “No, it wasn’t my decision.” Admitting that she felt hurt by the sudden move, the actor added, “You obviously are taken aback, confused and of course hurt. You wonder about it…You become more aware of what you have heard about, so, what became obvious was that it could happen to me too, with all your apparent box office success, and secure position in the industry.”

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When asked if Aishwarya ever got back to the actor or any of the makers to ask them what had actually transpired, the star said, “It’s not in my nature to. If a person feels a need to explain it, they will. If they never did, they never intend to. So, it’s not in my nature to get into questioning what and why. Probably within myself, but I wouldn’t go up to a person and ask why. By the grace of God, I’m not defined by the other.”

Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were last seen together in the 2016 release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, where the former had a cameo.