After having made some of the larger than life films which Bollywood has ever witnessed, in the form of Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and others, the master filmmaker is now all set to storm the silver screen with his upcoming period drama Padmavati, which stars Deepika Padukone (in the titular role), Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Aditi Rao Hydari and Jim Sarbh.

We, at, KoiMoi, thought of running our imaginations on the creative side and have brought to you a super cool feature about ‘What if Sanjay Leela Bhansali had to make Padmavati in the nineties! Have a look!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Rani Padmavati of Chittore

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Rani Padmavati of Chittore
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Rani Padmavati of Chittore

The very moment one utters the term ‘royal’, the very first name that pops up in the minds of everyone is that of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. After having done films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Umrao Jaan, Jodhaa Akbar, Guzaarish, wherein she looked every inch a royal, its only but natural that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan would have made an extremely ethereal choice for the role of ‘Rani Padmavati of Chittore’, which Deepika Padukone is portraying now.

If the reports are to be believed, then, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s original choice was nobody else but Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. But, for reasons unknown, things did not materialise in the right direction. The rest, as they is history!

Shah Rukh Khan as Rawal Ratan Singh

Shah Rukh Khan as Rawal Ratan Singh
Shah Rukh Khan as Rawal Ratan Singh

This will definitely be one casting coup of sorts. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has a legacy of many Bollywood films behind him, has already done a handful of films with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. But, an intense love story which matches up to the passion of Padmavati, remains yet to be explored (with Devdas notwithstanding).

Considering that Shahid Kapoor will be playing the role of Rawal Ratan Singh in Padmavati, the only person who comes to the mind who could do justice to the role besides Shahid is the eternal loverboy of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan.

Ajay Devgn as Alauddin Khilji

Ajay Devgn as Alauddin Khilji
Ajay Devgn as Alauddin Khilji

We all know that Padmavati will see the ‘never-say-tired’ Ranveer Singh in the role of Alauddin Khilji. Imagine if Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati was made in the nineties, then the person who would have easily pulled off the role of Alauddin Khilji would definitely have been Ajay Devgn. We all know that Ajay Devgn is a prankster of the highest order on the film sets and that he could pull off any impossible stunt with ease and that too, with a poker face! Let’s not forget those intensely inviting eyes!

Considering that Sanjay Leela Bhansali must have zeroed down on Ranveer Singh taking into consideration his persona and personality, we are sure that Ajay Devgn would have surely given a Ranveer Singh a marathon run for his money if he was cast in the role of Alauddin Khilji.

Trending :

Abhishek Bachchan as Malik Naib Kafur

Abhishek Bachchan as Malik Naib Kafur
Abhishek Bachchan as Malik Naib Kafur

Besides setting and upping the level of royal and opulence in his film Padmavati, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is seemingly all set to shock the audiences by touching upon the bisexual nature of Alauddin Khilji, which is being played by Ranveer Singh. And the man for whom Ranveer Singh’s character in the film skips a beat is Jim Sarbh, the man who spelt terror in Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja.

If Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati was to be made in the nineties, the man who would possibly fit the onscreen portrayal of being Alauddin Khilji’s love interest could be Abhishek Bachchan. Having done a film like Dostana wherein he played the role of being ‘John Abraham’s love interest’ (even though they were only pretending to be so), we feel that it could have been a cakewalk for Abhishek Bachchan to pull off the role of Malik Naib Kafur.

Karisma Kapoor as Kamala Devi

Karisma Kapoor as Kamala Devi
Karisma Kapoor as Kamala Devi

Aditi Rao Hydari, who plays Kamala Devi in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, looks superlatively royal in totality and in reality as well. No wonder then, she was an apt choice to play the role of the fragile Kamala Devi.

But, we feel that, if Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati was to be made in the nineties, then, the actress who could have simply mixed up the role with utmost conviction would have been Karisma Kapoor. Having done a film like Dil Toh Pagal Hai to her credit, wherein, despite having played the second lead only to Madhuri Dixit, she managed to bag many awards including the prestigious National Award! And if the very Karisma Kapoor had to play the role of Kamala Devi in Padmavati, bagging an Oscar for her towering performance would not have been a distant dream! We are sure that all of you will agree!

Check This Out