News movies bollywood Why Was Aishwarya Rai 'Hurt' By Shah Rukh Khan; How Was Salman Khan Involved In Their Rift?
Why Was Aishwarya Rai 'Hurt' By Shah Rukh Khan; How Was Salman Khan Involved In Their Rift?
Published By :,Last Updated: August 24, 2026, 18:36 ISTShah Rukh Khan later admitted that Aishwarya Rai was not at fault.
However, despite their collective popularity, Shah Rukh Khan removed Aishwarya Rai from 5 of his films, all of which became massive successes.
This incident, particularly her replacement by Rani Mukerji in "Chalte Chalte," reportedly caused a rift in her friendship with Mukerji.
News movies bollywood Why Was Aishwarya Rai 'Hurt' By Shah Rukh Khan; How Was Salman Khan Involved In Their Rift?
Why Was Aishwarya Rai 'Hurt' By Shah Rukh Khan; How Was Salman Khan Involved In Their Rift?
Published By :
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Last Updated: August 24, 2026, 18:36 IST
Shah Rukh Khan later admitted that Aishwarya Rai was not at fault.
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Aishwarya Rai was removed from 5 Shah Rukh Khan films.
Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s pair greatly impressed fans in films like Mohabbatein, Devdas and Josh. However, despite their collective popularity, Shah Rukh Khan removed Aishwarya Rai from 5 of his films, all of which became massive successes. Some reports claim that SRK made this decision after Salman Khan created disruptions during one of his films with Aishwarya.
How Was Salman Khan Involved?
Aishwarya was the first choice for Chalte Chalte. The movie, produced by Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla’s company, Dreamz Unlimited, had already begun filming when Rani Mukerji replaced Aishwarya midway. Reportedly, Aishwarya was replaced because Salman created issues on set, causing delays and tensions. Though both actors reportedly apologised to SRK, the producers didn’t believe them.
Aishwarya Was Hurt By SRK
Later, in an interview with Simi Garewal, Aishwarya agreed that she was removed from at least 5 films opposite SRK. Besides Chalte Chalte, the list also included Veer Zaara and Kal Ho Na Ho. Aishwarya said, “There were a couple of films that were supposed to happen with me. But suddenly they weren’t happening, without any reason whatsoever… It wasn’t my decision. You obviously are taken aback, confused, and of course hurt. You wonder about it."
Shah Rukh Khan Regretted Replacing Aishwarya, Said She Was Innocent
Shah Rukh later expressed regret over removing Aishwarya from these films, admitting that it was a mistake. When asked about removing her from Chalte Chalte, he told India Today, “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."
He said in another chat, “Very saddened at the fact that Aishwarya was a very close friend, I have done some really marvellous films with her, and I genuinely mean that. She has been one of my favourite co-actresses, and we’ve done some really nice work — Josh, Mohabbatein, Devdas — and enjoyed together, and we get along really well."
SRK Explained Replacing Aishwarya
He added, “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."
“The whole company’s reputation is at stake; we wanted to finish the film in three to four months. Personally, if you ask me, Aishwarya is very professional, but I think we were a little saddened by the whole affair and we thought it wasn’t meant to be. It was not superstition; it was a professional decision, and even professionally we feel very bad. There are no two ways about it," Shah Rukh added.
Did SRK, Aishwarya Work Together Again?
Meanwhile, neither Shah Rukh nor Aishwarya confirmed Salman’s involvement in the matter. Shah Rukh and Aishwarya later appeared on screen in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, in which the actor had a brief appearance. They are yet to star in a full-fledged film together.
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Key Questions Answered Powered by Ask News18 Will Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai star in another film? Shah Rukh Khan is reportedly in advanced talks with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a new romance film, and there is speculation about a potential on-screen reunion with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in "Inshaallah" after 25 years. However, there has been no official confirmation of Shah Rukh's involvement in the project or Aishwarya Rai's participation. What impact did this incident have on their careers? Aishwarya Rai was removed from five films with Shah Rukh Khan, which she found hurtful. This incident, particularly her replacement by Rani Mukerji in "Chalte Chalte," reportedly caused a rift in her friendship with Mukerji. There were also reports that Aishwarya Rai was removed from other films she was working on around 2002-2003. Could Salman Khan's actions affect other film productions? Salman Khan's alleged disruptions on film sets have previously led to delays and tensions, resulting in Aishwarya Rai being replaced in films. Such incidents can cause significant financial losses and affect numerous people involved in a production. Powered by Ask News18
About the Author Kashvi Raj Singh Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentar... Read More
First Published: August 24, 2026, 18:36 IST
