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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan, together, were a fairy tale with the saddest ending. When they first came on screen together, they were the oh-so-perfect pair. People smiled at them and cried with them. Moreover, when they turned their chemistry real, everyone was spellbound, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, since he did it way before Karan Johar started doing it and announcing it – making people fall in love.
As Salman and Aish fell in love on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bhansali did not waste time and immediately planned two more films with them. There was also a third one, which Salman Khan was keen on doing. However, plans are made to be ruined mostly. So did this plan as well!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali planned two films that were potential box office blockbusters and could have created a hysteria amongst the audiences. But before he could make his wishes come true, Salman and Aish parted ways. Bhansali even tried to bring them together on-screen despite the ugly breakup once!
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Here’s the fate of all the films Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai could have done together.
The Perfect ‘Laila-Majnu’ Opening
Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai came together for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam for the first time. The film gave Bollywood the perfect Laila-Majnu, on-screen and, unfortunately, off-screen. As heartbreaking as Laila Majnu’s love story ended, it happened the same for Salman & Aish.
However, this couple had perfect chemistry, translating into phenomenal box office numbers. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam opened at the box office with a collection of 92 lakh. However, the first weekend contributed to a 2.86 crore collection, and the film had a lifetime run of 25 crore at the box office. Worldwide, it had a gross collection of almost 52 crore.
The Last Shot & Irony – Devdas
After Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Salman Khan was dying to play Devdas to Aishwarya Rai’s Paro, but Bhansali did not budge. He knew Bhaijaan’s capabilities and the power of Shah Rukh Khan’s eyes, the eyes that could emote pain and loss and emptiness like no one. So, as much as Salman wanted to play Devdas, Bhansali did not let it happen. Though Bhai would be present on the sets mostly, trying to enact scenes during rehearsals. In fact, there is a scene in the film where Bhansali uses Salman Khan’s hand during the shooting of a song. The shot, which was filmed during rehearsal, is ironically Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s last shot on screen. You can read about this story here.
Coming to the numbers, Devdas collected 42.50 crore and was the highest-grossing film of 2002. The film opened at 2.05 crore on the opening day and 7 crore over the weekend.
The Superhit Trio!
There are many rumors and ghost stories about Bajirao Mastani‘s casting. Initially, it was said that Bhansali planned it with Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Rani Mukerji. Aish and Rani were the best of friends during those days, and this trio would have been responsible for a magical superhit at the box office.
But then fate happened. Aish and Salman parted ways in the ugliest way possible. From Underworld dhamki to bruised faces, the breakup had it all! You can read about these stories here and here. Later, the project was revived when Bhansali got his new ‘much-in-love’ pair – Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.
Bajirao Mastani collected around 184 crore. The film opened at 12.80 crore and 46.77 crore in the first weekend itself. It collected 367 crore worldwide.
The Gory Demand By Aish
Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan once again for Padmaavat, which was then titled Padmavati. Interestingly, Aish even had a meek nod for the film but wanted Bhai to play Khilji so that the two of them wouldn’t cross paths with each other. However, Bhai wanted to play the part that was later played by Shahid Kapoor.
In one of her interviews, Aishwarya Rai confirmed, as quoted by India Today, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali didn’t get the Bajirao for me. He wanted me to do Padmaavat but could not get the Khilji for me at the casting time. So, that’s how it didn’t happen.”
Padmaavat later had Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, interestingly, the same pair who replaced Salman and Aish in Bajirao Mastani! The film collected 300.26 crore at the box office. It opened at 24 crore with paid previews and had a weekend collection of 114 crore, registering 560 crore worldwide in its lifetime!
The 500+ Crore Loss
While all these films could have brought Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan’s cumulative box office collection to 551 crore, all they could earn in their prolific careers was 25 crore together with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam! But just what if?
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
Check out the box office collections and verdicts of 2023 here.
For more such trivia, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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