Was Aishwarya Rai first choice for 'Mela' and 'Raja Hindustani'? Director Dharmesh Darshan answers

In the '90s, fans would often root for Aishwarya Rai and Aamir Khan to come together for a movie. However, that never came to fruition. Cinephiles have often wondered why the two really popular stars never came together for a film. However, Aishwarya did do a cameo towards the end of 'Mela,' which was released in 2000 and starred Aamir Khan and Twinkle.

'Mela' was among the most prominent films that Twinkle Khanna was a part of before quitting films completely. There have been speculations if it was originally Aishwarya who was supposed to star opposite Aamir and not Twinkle—director Dharmesh Darshan opened about the same. 

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Dharmesh Darshan, the director of 'Mela' on the film's 25th anniversary, spoke about different facts associated with the movie. Even though 'Mela' was a box office failure, a lot of Bollywood fans consider it to be an iconic film. The director revealed that Twinkle Khanna was indeed not the first choice for the movie but rather another popular '90s actress who he wanted to cast.

Darshan said, "She was. She was also my first choice for the role of Memsaab in Raja Hindustani (1996). My heart was on her. But she urgently had to go for Miss World. I didn't want to take any chances as I wanted an actress who could devote her full time to the film and Bollywood. It was her sheer grace that she didn't hold it in her heart."

The director in the interview mentioned that he is appreciative of the fact that Aishwarya did a cameo in the film even though she was a really big star. He also said that over the years many have asked him why he gave Aishwarya a cameo role and Twinkle the lead role. 

Darshan mentioned, "A heroine of her level had worked with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan; you name it. Yet, she agreed and drove a couple of hours to shoot that scene." He also mentioned, "I've met ladies who have told me, 'Kya sir; aapne Aishwarya ko cameo diya aur Twinkle Khanna ko itna bada role de diya!' (What Sir? You have given Aishwarya a cameo and Twinkle Khanna such a huge role)."