Some on-screen pairs are so iconic that fans forget the off-screen drama which came with them and Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai are a perfect example of this. The duo lit up the screen together in films like Mohabbatein, Devdas, and Josh, but despite their undeniable popularity as a pair, SRK ended up dropping Aishwarya from five of his projects, all of which went on to become huge hits without her. Some reports suggest the real trigger behind this was Salman Khan who allegedly caused trouble on the sets of one of their films together.
One of the clearest examples is Chalte Chalte. Aishwarya was originally cast in the film, produced by Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla’s Dreamz Unlimited, and shooting had already begun before she was replaced midway by Rani Mukerji. According to reports, the change happened because Salman reportedly created disturbances on set, leading to delays and rising tension. Even though both Salman and Aishwarya are said to have apologised to Shah Rukh afterward, the makers weren’t convinced enough to reverse the decision.
Aishwarya later addressed this in a conversation with Simi Garewal, confirming that she had been dropped from at least five projects opposite Shah Rukh, including Chalte Chalte, Veer-Zaara, and Kal Ho Naa Ho. She shared that she had been attached to a few films that were expected to happen, only for them to fall through unexpectedly and without any real explanation. She said the decision wasn’t hers to make and naturally, it left her feeling caught off guard, puzzled and hurt, with a lot of unanswered questions.
Shah Rukh, for his part, has since admitted that removing her from these projects was something he regrets. Speaking in an interview about the Chalte Chalte situation specifically, he acknowledged how tough it is to begin a project with someone and then have to replace them through no fault of their own. He called it a sad situation, especially since he considers Aishwarya a good friend, and admitted that while he personally felt he’d made the wrong call, it made sense from a producer’s standpoint and he did apologise to her for it.
In another conversation, he spoke fondly of their bond, saying it saddened him deeply that things reached this point given how close a friend Aishwarya was to him. He praised the work they’d done together in films like Josh, Mohabbatein, and Devdas, calling her one of his favourite co-stars and noting how well they got along and enjoyed working together.
Shah Rukh further explained that the decision wasn’t really his alone to make. He pointed out that as a producer, he had partners to answer to, including UTV, who was also involved and that the final call came from a group of ten to eleven people, not him individually. He mentioned that their production track record wasn’t particularly strong at the time, which added extra pressure, since the company’s overall reputation was on the line and they were aiming to wrap the film quickly, within three to four months.
He was clear that the decision had nothing to do with superstition, it was purely a professional call, even though it left everyone involved feeling bad. He reiterated that Aishwarya herself was completely professional throughout but the overall circumstances led them to conclude that the collaboration wasn’t meant to work out at that time.
Neither Shah Rukh nor Aishwarya has officially confirmed whether Salman was truly behind the disruptions. The two actors did eventually share screen space again in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, though Shah Rukh’s role in that film was only a brief appearance. To date, they haven’t collaborated on a full feature film together since.
Their fans will certainly like to see them together once again but will it happen?
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