Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan have shared a long professional association, having worked together in films such as ‘Josh’, ‘Mohabbatein’ and ‘Devdas’. However, their equation reportedly went through a rough phase in the early 2000s after Aishwarya was replaced in several projects associated with Shah Rukh, including ‘Chalte Chalte’ (2003), in which Rani Mukerji eventually stepped in.At the time, reports linked the casting change to Salman Khan‘s alleged disturbances on the sets of ‘Chalte Chalte’ amid his relationship with Aishwarya. However, neither Shah Rukh nor Aishwarya ever publicly confirmed Salman’s involvement in the decision.Years ago, during an appearance on ‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’, Aishwarya was asked about suddenly being dropped from films she was expected to do with Shah Rukh. She said, “How can I have the answer to that?” and added, “Yes, at the time, there was talk of a couple of films that we would be working in together. And then, suddenly they weren’t happening, without any explanation whatsoever. I have never had the answer to why.”When Simi Garewal pointed out that Shah Rukh had reportedly expressed regret over the situation and admitted that he had become involved in Aishwarya’s personal life when he shouldn’t have, the actress maintained that she did not have an explanation for what had happened. “I don’t have the answer to that,” she said, making it clear that the decision to not work together was not hers.Aishwarya had been the original choice for ‘Chalte Chalte’, which was backed by Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla’s production company Dreamz Unlimited. The actress had reportedly already begun shooting for the film before Rani Mukerji replaced her.Reflecting on how she felt at the time, Aishwarya said, “See, at the time, when you have no explanation, you’re obviously completely taken aback, and confused, and hurt. You wonder about it. It’s not in my nature to question someone for this. If a person feels a need to explain it, they will. If they never did, they never intend to. So, it’s not in my nature to get into questioning what and why. Probably within myself, but I wouldn’t go up to a person and ask why. By the grace of God, I’m not defined by the other,” she stated.She also revealed that the professional setback did not leave her without work or make her question the direction of her career. Recalling that phase, Aishwarya said, “I was never put in a position where I was suddenly sitting there, with these films out of my diary, with absolutely nothing happening career wise, where I would be wondering ‘oh, now what, and why?’”Shah Rukh later addressed the casting change in an interview with India Today in 2003 and admitted that he considered replacing Aishwarya a mistake. Talking specifically about ‘Chalte Chalte’, he said, “To start a project with someone and then change her for no fault of hers is very difficult. It is very sad as Ash is a good friend. Personally, I think I did wrong. But as a producer, it made sense. I apologised to Ash.”An old interview of Shah Rukh also resurfaced on Reddit, in which the actor spoke about the circumstances surrounding the decision. He said, “Personally, it is very saddening not to… for something to reach this level. I feel very sorry about it, and I genuinely do… As a producer, my hands were tied because I am not the only producer. I have a team of people, and this time we also have UTV, who is working with us. The collective decision of 10-11 people. We were also not doing very well as producers. That was at stake.”Despite the fallout, Aishwarya and Shah Rukh eventually shared the screen again in Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ in 2016. The romantic drama featured Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles, with Aishwarya and Shah Rukh appearing in pivotal parts.
