Shah Rukh Khan to replace Ranveer Singh as Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavat?

Padmavat is one of the most controversial films made in Bollywood after 2015. This magnum opus of Sanjay Leela Bhansali had to face heavy opposition from the Karni Sena. The Rajput organization also ransacked the sets in Rajasthan. The difficulties for Sanjay Leela Bhansali started from the casting phase itself. According to a report in Koimoi, it is being said that at one point of time, Sanjay Leela Bhansali thought of casting Shah Rukh Khan as Alauddin Khilji. Looks like Ranveer Singh, who once in a lifetime has given one of the best performances, has decided to opt out of the film. The reasons for this were unknown to the media.

Looks like Sanjay Leela Bhansali was absolutely unfazed by Ranveer Singh’s decision. He said goodbye to the actor and went straight to Mannat to offer the role to Shah Rukh Khan. The young superstar heard the script and appreciated his Devdas director. Looks like Shahrukh Khan had put a condition in front of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It seems that he asked her to give the film a different title as she felt that her fans would not like to see her in a film which is titled after the lead actress. It is well known that the fans of all three Khans and Akshay Kumar are very possessive. They would not like to see their star in a title with a female name.

This got Sanjay Leela Bhansali in a bit of trouble. The reason was that Deepika Padukone had told him that if he changed the title of the film, she would leave the film. The filmmaker shares a wonderful bond with Deepika Padukone, with whom he has given blockbusters like Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani. Shahrukh Khan made Deepika Padukone debut in Bollywood and they have many superhit movies together. But before Sanjay Leela Bhansali could really grapple with the dilemma, Ranveer Singh returned to the project.

But as we know, the title had to be changed from Padmavati to Padmavat. They had to do this in the months leading up to release to allow for a smooth release across India. Padmavat is the name of a poem by Malik Muhammad Jiyasi. The film earned over Rs 300 crore from the global box office. Ranveer Singh won all the awards for his brilliant acting. But this report makes us wonder what Shah Rukh Khan would have brought to the table as Khilji!