Katrina Kaif is one of the highest-earning Indian actresses. She started her acting career in the 2003 film Boom, which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, and others. Then, she rose to fame with Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, released in 2005. The actress hasn’t looked back since, appearing in several critically acclaimed films like Partner, Welcome, Namastey London, New York, Ek Tha Tiger, and Dhoom 3, among others.
Kaif’s professional career was not a fairytale, but a few flops did stop her from being a box office juggernaut. However, the 39-year-old actress also missed out on opportunities to work in successful films like Chennai Express, Gunday, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and others that later went to Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, and other actresses.
The list of big-budget movies initially offered to Katrina Kaif and why she turned them down can be found further.
Seven Blockbusters Altered Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra’s Career Graphs After Katrina Kaif Rejected Them
1. Bajirao Mastani
Bajirao Mastani, the film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was a massive hit. Katrina was the first choice for the period drama, according to reports. TOI claims that the director even considered casting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rani Mukerji for the roles, but the historical drama cast Padukone and Priyanka Chopra alongside Ranveer Singh.
2. Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela
Katrina Kaif had the golden opportunity of working with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she was offered the lead role in Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram Leela. Still, the actress turned it down due to unknown reasons. The role was then offered to Deepika Padukone, who teamed up with actor Ranveer Singh and won over the audience and critics with their crackling chemistry. As a result, the film earned more than Rs 200 crore at the box office and appeared as one of the highest-grossing films of 2015.
3. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
From Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, do you remember Naina Talwara? Yes, Katrina Kaif was initially offered the role played by Deepika Padukone, but she declined due to other professional commitments. Nevertheless, the film, which Ayan Mukerji directed, set several box office records and helped Padukone add another blockbuster to her list of successful movies. Aditya Roy Kapur, Kalki Koechlin, and Ranbir Kapoor also appeared in important roles in the coming-of-age romantic drama.
4. Half Girlfriend
Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor played the lead roles in Half Girlfriend, an official adaptation of the novel of the same name by Chetan Bhagat. The Mohit Suri-directed movie did well at the domestic box office despite receiving mixed reviews. But did you know that the creators wanted Katrina Kaif to play the main character? According to TOI, Kaif turned down the role because she didn’t think she could play a college student.
5. Gunday
Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, known for their off-screen friendship, set the stage ablaze when they worked together on Ali Abbas Zafar’s action thriller Gunday in 2014. First, the producers wanted to cast Katrina Kaif as Inspector Nandita Sengupta, but the actress said no because she had other commitments and a busy schedule. The role was then given to Priyanka Chopra, the former Miss World, who was praised for her strong and sincere demeanor.
6. Chennai Express
Did you know that Katrina Kaif was the first choice to play Meenalochani Azhagusundaram, also known as Meenamma, in the action-comedy drama Chennai Express directed by Rohit Shetty. But, according to TOI, Kaif declined the role because she was uncomfortable with its South Indian background. At that point, the producers approached Deepika Padukone. Many people also praised Padukone’s performance and her chemistry with Khan. In addition, the film broke many domestic and international box office records and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2013.
7. Barfi!
Katrina Kaif was offered the role of Shruti Ghosh in Barfi. However, despite Anurag Basu’s desire to bring Kaif on board, the actress declined the role for unknown reasons. The accomplished filmmaker then cast actress Ileana D’Cruz in the lead role, and together with Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, she gave a stellar performance. As a result, Barfi was chosen as India’s official entry for the 85th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, in addition to earning crores at the box office.
These 7 films were initially presented to actress Katrina Kaif, but she could not participate due to various factors.
What do you think if the actress Katrina Kaif had been a part of these movies? How would they have turned out?