Did you know Saif Ali Khan was the original choice for 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'?

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) is a romantic drama and one of the longest-running movies in Bollywood. The classic film has given the world one of the best on-screen pairings of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol and established a huge career for debutant director Aditya Chopra. Even though the movie remains unforgettable and the characters have made people fall in love with them, fans might be surprised to know that Shah Rukh Khan wasn’t the first choice for playing the character of Raj Malhotra in the cult romance drama. Read further ahead to know who was the original choice.

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Who was the first choice for playing Raj Malhotra in DDLJ?

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge set the bar of the Hindi cinema industry to huge levels. From the songs to the storyline to the chemistry between the actors, everything about the movie is unforgettable. But, many will be surprised to know that the movie was initially offered to Saif Ali Khan. The actor was asked to play the character of Raj Malhotra opposite Kajol. But, Saif Ali Khan declined the offer made by Aditya Chopra owing to some date issues. In fact, at the very beginning of the movie’s shoot, Aditya Chopra wanted to cast Tom Cruise for the character of Raj Malhotra in the movie as he wanted it to be an Indo-American affair. But, Aditya Chopra had to re-work on his story as Yash Chopra didn't want to make it with a foreign star.

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Other lesser-known facts about Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

• The title name for this movie was suggested by Kiron Kher, wife of the famous actor Anupam Kher.
• The movie is included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list, edited by Steven Schneider.
• The movie was released on 25th anniversary of Yash Raj Films.

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• Yash Chopra approached Armaan Kohli for Parmeet Sethi's character. But Armaan did not want to play the villain's role. He insisted he plays the lead role. Then, Yash Chopra wanted Milind Gunaji for Parmeet Sethi's role. But Milind refused to shave off his beard. This made Yash Chopra opt for another actor.

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