The veteran, evergreen diva of Bollywood not only rejected Chandni, but she recommended the late Sridevi for the blockbuster romantic musical.
Every actor wishes to have one landmark film in their filmography. Sometimes a film or a character played by the actor in that film becomes an identity of the artiste. Akshay Kumar is still called Khiladi Kumar. Shah Rukh Khan was called Baazigar after the release of his 1993 blockbuster.
Similarly, here's an actress, the late diva, Hava-Hawai of Bollywood, Sridevi, who will always be remembered as Bollywood's Chandni. Yash Chopra's love drama, Chandni (1989) was a major commercial and critical success, cementing Sridevi as a bonafide superstar. Chandni became a landmark film in Sridevi, but this might surprise you that she wasn't the first choice for the titular role.
Chandni was originally offered to...
Rekha. Yes, the evergreen diva of Bollywood was the first choice for Chandni Mathur. Interstingly, Rekha played the character of Chandni in Yash Chopra's Silsila. When Chandni was in the pre-production stage, he narrated the script to Rekha, and she liked it, but she refused to star in it.
Rekha refused Chandni because...
As per media reports, Rekha shared her honest views on Chandni with Yash Chopra and suggested him to go ahead with a younger lead actress.
Rekha recommended Sridevi for Chandni
Sridevi got Chandni after Rekha recommended her name to Yash Chopra. The director approached her for the film, she accepted, and the rest is history.
Chandni also stars Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor in leads with Waheeda Rehman, Anupam Kher, Sushma Seth, Mita Vashisht, and Manohar Singh in supporting roles. Released in September 1989, Chandni became the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 1989. The soundtrack of Chandni became the best-selling album of the year, as well as the decade with more than 10 million copies sold.
Chandni also won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and it was also considered instrumental in rejuvenating the romantic musical genre back in Bollywood, putting an end to the violent films era.
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 "Not Sridevi, but this actress was Yash Chopra's first choice for Chandni")
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