When Aishwarya Rai was scared of getting ‘lynched’ by fans

In an interview, Aishwarya Rai talked about rejecting a role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which later went to Rani Mukerji

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a superhit film, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji. But, did you know Aishwarya Rai was the first choice to play ‘Tina’.

Filmmaker Karan Johar had first offered Rani’s ‘Tina’ character to several top actresses like Twinkle Khanna, Aishwarya, but everyone rejected it.

Talking about why Aishwarya rejected Tina’s role, in an interview conducted by Filmfare in 1999, she said, “I’m in a catch-22 situation really. Though I’m a newcomer, I'm compared with all the senior actresses.

“So if I’d done the film, it would have been tittered that, ‘Look, Aishwarya Rai is back to doing what she did in her modelling days — leaving her hair straight, wearing minis, and pouting glamorously into the camera’. Ultimately, the hero goes back to the more real person. I know if I’d done Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I would have been lynched,” she added.

In the same interview, Aishwarya also talked about how the looks of some female actors didn’t work in their favour. “Look, I can’t fight the looks I’ve been born with. If I’m blessed with good looks, so be it. But for Pete’s sake, don’t knock my hard work, my professionalism. I’m only three films old. I haven’t given any of my directors any reason to complain.”