Madhuri Dixit Nene is one of the most accomplished actresses in the film industry and is still relevant. In a career spanning more than 25 years, the actress has impressed us with her acting skills, expressions, dance moves, and gorgeous style and fashion sense.
While Madhuri had featured in close to 100 films, she has also rejected quite a few that established her colleagues as leading ladies in Bollywood. While at times it was other factors (her manager or the maker’s previous films not being great) that played a role in her saying no, one of the main reasons she rejected films was the unavailability of date. Yup, the Dhak Dhak girl had a chock-a-block schedule during the ‘90s
From Damini to Darr, Khamoshi & more, here are 10 films Madhuri Dixit Nene said no to in her impressive career.
Ilzaam (1986)
Producer Pahlaj Nihalani wanted Madhuri Dixit Nene to feature opposite Govinda in Ilzaam after taking note of her skills in her debut film, Abodh. But Madhuri’s manager Rikku Rakesh Nath objected to her starring in it as Govinda was a newcomer. Instead, he signed her for two other films.
The role of Aarti then went to Neelam, who became a star overnight with this film. Chi Chi and Bollywood’s Dhakdhak girl later shared screen space in Paap Ka Ant (1989) and Izzatdaar (1990).
Vishwatma (1992)
Rajiv Rai’s Vishwatma starred an array of actors, including Sunny Deol, Naseeruddin Shah, Chunkey Pandey, Divya Bharti, Raza Murad, Gulshan Grover, Amrish Puri and more. But did you know the makers approached Madhuri Dixit Nene as one of the leading ladies?
As per reports, Madhuri was offered the role of Kusum but said no to it as Rajiv’s previous film Tridev wasn’t good enough. The character was then passed to Divya, who accepted it and became a major sensation in Bollywood. Her song ‘Saat Samundar’ was a chartbuster.
Darr (1993)
Did you know Kiran was written with Madhuri Dixit Nene in mind? Well, this is true and hence was the maker’s first choice. As per reports, Madhuri backed out owing to date problems.
Later Yash Chopra offered the role to Juhi Chawla, which she accepted and made a place for herself in the hearts of millions. This movie cemented Juhi as one of the top league actresses in the industry.
Damini (1993)
As much as we remember Damini for Sunny Deol’s ‘tarik pe tarik’ monologue, there is no denying that the film’s main focus was Meenakshi Seshadri as the powerful titular character she played. But as per reports, the role was initially offered to Madhuri Dixit Nene.
The Tezaab actress had to say no to this role on account of severe date issues. The role was then played by Seshadri, who earned wide critical acclaim and accolades for it.
Baazigar (1993)
The makers of Baazigar, Abbas-Mustan, initially looked at casting Madhuri Dixit Nene alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in this 1993 hit. In fact, reports claim the director duo even offered her Rs 25 lakhs to essay the role of Seema, but she said no.
The reason for this was as she didn’t want to play the second fiddle character. Eventually, Shilpa Shetty was brought on board and made her Bollywood debut with it.
1942: A Love Story (1994)
After we saw Madhuri Dixit Nene and Anil Kapoor’s sizzling chemistry in Tezaab, who wouldn’t have wanted to see them together in a movie again? Well, the makers of 1942: A Love Story were keen on bringing the duo together but couldn’t due to date issues.
As per reports, the Devdas actress was offered the role of Rajjo and the song ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha’ was conceptualised with her in mind. However, at that time, she didn’t have dates. And when she did, Vidhu Vinod Chopra didn’t sign her but instead brought Manisha Koirala on board.
Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995)
Madhuri Dixit Nene was initially offered the role of Kiran in this Mansoor Khan but said no due to something that very common on this list – dates.
Her role in this ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ adaptation was then passed on, and Manisha Koirala said yes to it. The actress earned several accolades for her performance.
Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
Another Madhuri Dixit Nene loss that was a benefit for Manisha Koirala was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical co-starring Salman Khan and Nana Patekar. While Madhuri was Bhansali’s first choice for his directorial debut. However, reports claim the actress said no to it either because she found the story depressing or she had date issues.
The role of Annie then went to Manisha, who delivered one of her best performances in it to date.
Ishq (1997)
This Indra Kumar is still one of my favourite ‘90s flicks. The film starred an ensemble cast, including Kajol, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and more. But did you know Juhi’s role was first offered to Madhuri Dixit Nene?
Indra had earlier worked with Madhuri on several films – Dil (1990), Beta (1992) and Raja (1995) and was keen to work with her again. However, Dixit didn’t have dates and hence said no to the role.
Chandni (1989)
As per reports, Madhuri Dixit Nene was the makers first choice to appear as Vinod Khanna’s late girlfriend, Devika, in Chandni. However, the Kalank star rejected the offer as her role was only that of a cameo and very small when compared to Sridevi.
After she said no to it, the makers approached Juhi Chawla for the same. The song ‘Lagi Aaj Sawan,’ ft Juhi, became a hit.
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