Alia Bhatt won hearts with her performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. However, when the film was released, there were reports suggesting that originally, Rani Mukerji was the filmmaker’s first choice. Now, Aditya Narayan, who was once Bhansali’s assistant director, has confirmed this speculation.
Aditya Narayan confirms Rani Mukerji was the first choice for Gangubai Kathiawadi
During a recent appearance on Bharti TV, Aditya Narayan recalled being jobless after Shaapit’s failure and ended up working with Bhansali as an AD. Aditya said, “As I had no other work, I decided to learn something new. I was drawn to filmmaking because I had been interested in making music and music videos since childhood. It was Sonu Nigam (also a judge on X Factor India) who asked me why I shouldn’t consider assisting Bhansali.”
“It felt like a great idea. When I approached him with this wish, he smiled, thinking I would give up in five days. To not break my heart, he asked me to come to his office. However, during the first week, he didn’t give me any work, as he was sure I would give up soon. After a week, he started giving me work slowly,” Aditya added.
The singer further continued, “At that time, he had two scripts with him: Ram-Leela and Gangubai Kathiawadi. I think he was considering making Gangubai Kathiawadi with Rani Mukerji in the lead at that time. He gave all of us the two scripts and asked which one was better. I also like Ram-Leela more.”
When Priyanka Chopra was considered for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Notably, back in 2019, a Times of India report suggested that Priyanka Chopra, too, had been considered since Bhansali had been working with her on Bajirao Mastani during that time. “Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Gangubai Kathiawadi was initially to be made with Rani Mukerji in the lead. However, things didn’t work out with Rani, and that’s when he decided to ask Priyanka Chopra while filming Bajirao Mastani. The project couldn’t take off as PeeCee was running on a tight schedule while also pursuing a career in Hollywood,” their source claimed.
The source also added, “When ‘Inshallah’ got shelved, Bhansali already had a film ready to take on floors. With Alia’s dates booked, he decided to green-light Gangubai, which was in the making for a very long time. SLB is also known to revisit his films again and again.”
Nevertheless, Gangubai Kathiawadi proved to be a game-changer for Alia Bhatt, who even ended up securing a National Award for her performance.
