Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2018 which went on to earn Rs 300.26 crore nett in India taking its total worldwide collection to Rs 585 crore. Every character that were played by its lead actors become memorable.
Of which, Ranveer Singh's portrayal of the menacing Mughal emperor Alauddin Khilji had left an long-lasting impact on the viewers and the actor even bagged the Best Actor award for his role at the Star Screen Awards 2018. Even Shahid Kapoor had garnered a lot of praises for his portrayal of Maharawal Ratan Singh. Both Ranveer and Shahid wouldn't have been received the glory and honour if it wouldn't have been for Shah Rukh Khan. And you may ask how? So let us tell you.
According to a few reports, it is being said that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was very keen to cast Shah Rukh Khan in Padmaavat and was first reportedly offered the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh. But the superstar turned down the role as he saw that the story revolves around the characters of Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji.
When Bhansali got to know about the reason behind Shah Rukh Khan's refusal to play Maharawal Ratan Singh, the filmmaker then offered him the role of the menacing Khilji. But SRK rejected it as well citing the reason that he may have to face backlash for playing Khilji onscreen as he had already been at the receiving end of criticism for Raees.
And in the end, the coveted roles went into Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor's kitty and the two created magic on screen with their brilliant performances.
Before approaching Shah Rukh Khan, Bhansali had reportedly thought of casting Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in Padmaavat in an attempt to recreate the magic of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. While Salman was keen, Aishwarya reportedly gave her nod on condition that she won't share screen with Salman in the film. The latter didn't comply to Aishwarya's demands and ultimately Bhansali had to drop the idea of casting Salman and Aishwarya together.
Padmaavat has completed one year and the memories are still very fresh in the hearts and minds of the audience. To celebrate the occassion, Ranveer walked down the memory lane to revisit the time when he was preparing for Khilji. He posted a video on his Instagram where he was seen grooving to a peppy number in his Khilji avatar.
