Soha Ali Khan lost to Rani Mukerji after Shah Rukh Khan signed up with Paheli!

RELEASED: 18 Sep 2025, 11:55 AM IST
LAST UPDATE: 18 Sep 2025, 11:55 AM IST

Amol Palekar’s Paheli (2005) stands apart as one of Bollywood’s most creatively installed folk tales, weaving together dream, love, and custom. With Shah Rukh Khan in a double function and Rani Mukerji providing an elegant efficiency as Lachchi, the movie made appreciation for its visual richness and emotional music. Including gravitas, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in an effective cameo throughout the climax, raising the story’s significant closure. While the film pleased critics, audience reaction was modest at package workplace. Here’s an obscure reality- Rani Mukerji was not the initial option for the function.

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Soha Ali Khan wasProvided Paheli

As exposed in her interview with Mashable India, Soha Ali Khan declared that she was at first approached by Amol Palekar for Paheli.

At the time, Soha was operating at Citibank and making a comfy wage, paying Rs 17,000 lease and preparing to ultimately relocate to London for work. When Palekar told the script, she chose to stop her task, thinking about the task as her huge entry into movies. She confessed later on that she had just an unclear interest in acting and was likewise lured by the income, though she was not completely gotten ready for the needs of movie theater.

SRK’s Entry and The Casting Shift

The turning point came when SRK signed up with Paheli, not simply as a star however likewise as a manufacturer under Red Chillies Entertainment. His participation raised the movie’s profile, triggering the makers to reevaluate casting options to match the scale of the job. That’s when Rani Mukerji was generated to play Lachchi, a choice that totally modified the trajectory of the movie.

For Soha, this was an agonizing obstacle- she had currently stop her safe business task, anticipating Paheli to be her launching. Rather, she made her screen launching later on with Dil Maange More (2004 ).

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Twist of Fate in Bollywood Journeys

While Rani’s representation of Lachchi ended up being an essential part of Paheli’s tradition, Soha has actually typically spoken openly about how losing out on the movie formed her early profession battles.