Raanjhanaa was not just a film but an emotion. Directed by Anand L Rai, the film gave Dhanush a blockbuster debut in Bollywood and also won him several awards. But did you know that the South star was not the first choice to play the lead role in the film? Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Rai revealed that initially he had Ranbir Kapoor in mind.
Anand began the conversation by revealing that this was the time when his Tanu Weds Manu had become a blockbuster. The filmmaker said, “If I had more confidence in myself, I would have made Tanu Weds Manu 2. But I and Himanshu (Sharma) felt that a story like Raanjhanaa needed to be told.” He also revealed that he felt what worked in his case was staying true to his story and casting.
Rai said, “An actor who keeps himself simple and lets himself blend in with the crowd, which is a difficult task, I believe, is Ranbir Kapoor, but he was not available at that time and when we were looking for such an actor, we found Dhanush.” The director further stressed that Dhanush was lucky in Raanjhanaa, who stunned everyone with his performance in it.
Also read: Aanand L Rai says Shah Rukh Khan ‘knows how to bounce back’, reveals there has been no change in their relationship even after ‘Zero’ flopped.
Raanjhanaa also starred Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in lead roles and was a huge commercial success. AR Rahman composed the music for this 2013 classic film which included songs like Tum Tak, Piya Milenge, Tu Mun Shudi, Banarasiya, Nazar Laaye and the hit title track.
After Raanjhanaa, Aanand L Rai and Dhanush reunited in 2021 for the romantic drama Atrangi Re, which also stars Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. Pinkvilla has been updating its audience about Rai and Dhanush’s next film Tere Ishq Mein, which might also star Kriti Sanon.
Our source told us, “Kriti Sanon heard the story from Anand L Rai a few months ago and has shown interest in getting into the world of this action love story. Apart from the story, the actress also liked the arc of her character and the way she changes in the story.” The shooting of the film is likely to begin in October this year and it will be released in 2025.
Also read: Ranbir Kapoor admits to taking therapy before father Rishi Kapoor fell ill: ‘It’s better to deal with mental health silently…’
