During a recent interview with RJ Siddharth Kannan, Bhumika Chawla, who made her Bollywood debut in the late Satish Kaushik’s directorial ‘Tere Naam’ (2003), opposite Salman Khan, spoke candidly about signing on to roles only to be later replaced by other actors. According to Bhumika, the actress was first signed for ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ (2003) and ‘Jab We Met’ (2007) but was later replaced by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Gracy Singh, respectively.
“I received numerous offers”, Bhumika informed Siddharth Kannan. “I’ve always been picky and deliberate about my actions. After that, I had committed to a large movie, but sadly, the cast was altered, including the hero and the title of the movie. But things would have been different if I had done it,” Bhumika added.
“The only time I felt bad was when I signed ‘Jab We Met’ and it didn’t happen,” Bhumika said. “Bobby Deol and I were the first ones to be approached for the film when it was called ‘Train’. Then it was Shahid Kapoor and me, followed by Shahid and Ayesha Takia and then Shahid and Kareena Kapoor. That’s how things went down, but it’s okay. I only felt awful once, and I never felt bad again because I just moved on. I don’t give it much thought.”
Bhumika Chawla also stated that she had bagged Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’, but Gracy Singh was ultimately cast in the film. “I signed up for ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’, but it didn’t work out. ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ (2002) with Mani Ratnam sir also did not happen,” stated Bhumika Chawla, adding that it was only Rajkumar Hirani who informed her about the replacement in his film.
Bhumika Chawla also said, “Only Raju sir can share this. He revealed the reason after ten-twelve years, when we met at a location. ‘You were removed from the picture due to a mistake made by someone,’ he explained. But that’s fine. This also happens here.”
