K V Vijayendra Prasad CONFIRMS at IFFI, Goa that Aamir Khan was the original choice for Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan; Producer revealed that even Allu Arjun, Rajinikanth and Puneet Rajkumar were also approached

By Fenil Seta -

December 8, 2022 - 4:21 PM IST

The last decade saw Salman Khan deliver back-to-back blockbusters. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) stands out as it was not a typical action film, which Salman is usually known for. It was written by K V Vijayendra Prasad, father of legendary director S S Rajamouli, and he shared some interesting details about Bajrangi Bhaijaan at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.

K V Vijayendra Prasad CONFIRMS at IFFI, Goa that Aamir Khan was the original choice for Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan; Producer revealed that even Allu Arjun, Rajinikanth and Puneet Rajkumar were also approached

K V Vijayendra Prasad said that before Salman Khan bagged the lead role, Aamir Khan was offered the part. The writer met Aamir's sister Nikhat Khan, whom he knew. Aamir, however, turned down the film. When Aamir Khan saw the film post-release, he loved it. The visuals of him coming out of the theatre wiping his tears with a towel had gone viral.

At a press conference held after the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Salman Khan also confirmed that Aamir Khan was indeed approached for the film. He said, “Yes, Aamir told me that Prasad had come to him and he sent him to me. So this is just Aamir sahab’s generosity.”

Aamir was not the only one who rejected Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Rockline Venkatesh, one of the producers of Bajarangi Bhaijaan, revealed a few months back that several celebrities from different film industries said no to Bajrangi Bhaijaan. He said during an interview with the Kannada daily Udayavani, “The script work of Bajrangi Bhaijaan had been in place for the past 4-5 years. Rajinikanth sir, Allu Arjun, Puneeth Rajkumar and Aamir Khan had heard the storyline. But they all turned down the script for various reasons. Finally, director Kabir Khan narrated the story to Salman Khan, who happily gave the green signal to the project.”

And that's not all. S S Rajamouli too couldn't direct it when his father narrated the story. One of the reasons was that he was already busy making his magnum opus, Baahubali. Interestingly, while Baahubali: The Beginning was released on July 10, 2015, Bajrangi Bhaijaan arrived in cinemas a week later, on July 17, 2015.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan was finally directed by Kabir Khan. It was the story of the kind-hearted and religious Pawan who decides to go to Pakistan to reunite a mute girl with her parents.

Also Read: Vijayendra Prasad confirms Rajamouli’s next with Mahesh Babu will be a jungle adventure