Not Manisha Koirala, but this actress was the first choice for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi

MUMBAI: Manisha Koirala's reunion with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is getting rave reviews. They go a long way back as she starred in his 1996 directorial debut Khamoshi: The Musical. But do you know who was Bhansali's first choice for the role of Annie in the movie?

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In an old interview that's now resurfaced on social media, Aishwaya Rai revealed that she was Bhansali's first choice for Khamoshi. “At one point, Sanjay considered casting me for Khamoshi. But I'd just gone for the (Miss India) pageant. He told me this before we started shooting for Hum Dil (De Chuke Sanam). I'd visited the sets of Dholi Taro for a recce. When I was walking, my hair was all wavy. He looked at me and said, ‘You know, this is the way I saw you in Khamoshi.’ Then he and Anil Mehta (cinematographer) smiled. And I was like, ‘Really?’ I loved Khamoshi. I loved the music. I was like, ‘Really, Sanjay? You wanted me to be in Khamoshi?’ He said, ‘It’s okay ya, you went and became Miss World.' And I said, ‘But I lost Khamoshi.’ I kept humming all the songs and thinking what if, what if…,” she said.

Aishwarya, however, got cast in Bhansali's next directorial, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), opposite her then-boyfriend Salman Khan, who was paired opposite Manisha in Khamoshi. Aishwarya then went on to work with Bhansali in Devdas (2002) and Guzaarish (2010).

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In a new interview with Galatta India, Manisha recalled how she landed Khamoshi. “Sanjay asked me to read a script. I said, ‘Okay, han de de yar (yes, give it). And I told him that his script had magic. It was so poignant, so beautiful. He didn’t want me then. He wanted either Madhuri ji or Kajol. So I said, ‘Agar ye dono na karein na, toh main karungi’ (If they don't do it, I will). I was very happy that others didn't do it, and I got the chance,” Manisha said.

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Credits - Hindustan Times