Shah Rukh Khan's 'Darr', Salman Khan's 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', Rajinikanth's '2.0': 7 movies rejected by Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is undoubtedly one of the finest actors we have in Bollywood. He is renowned for his meticulous approach to selecting roles. While he has been a part of some hit and memorable movies like 'Lagaan', 'Sarfarosh', 'Raja Hindustani', 'Rang De Basanti', '3 Idiots', 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Dangal', he has also passed on some big projects in his career. From Shah Rukh Khan's 'Darr', Salman Khan's 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' to Rajinikanth's '2.0', here's taking a look at SEVEN movies rejected by Mr Perfectionist of Bollywood.

Not many know that Aamir Khan was asked to play Rajinikanth's role in '2.0'. In an interview, Aamir revealed that the director Shankar offered him the role. He mentioned that even Rajinikanth personally called him to request him to take up the film. Although Aamir is a big fan of both Shankar and Rajinikanth, he declined the role. He explained that whenever he imagined the role, he could only see Rajinikanth in it. So, he told Shankar that he couldn't do it as Rajinikanth is irreplaceable.

Shah Rukh Khan received immense love and appreciation for his iconic negative role and performance in 'Darr' with Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. However, initially, Ajay Devgn was considered for the role. However, due to his lack of response, it was offered to Aamir Khan.

However, Aamir declined, leading Shah Rukh Khan to ultimately portray the iconic character. Additionally, Ashutosh Gowariker offered the lead role in 'Swades' to Aamir Khan, who turned it down, resulting in Shah Rukh Khan's casting in the film.

'Hum Aapke Hain Koun,' directed by Sooraj Barjatya, remains an iconic and adored Bollywood film, with Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in pivotal roles. Surprisingly, the character originally intended for Salman Khan was initially offered to Aamir Khan. However, Aamir Khan, known for his meticulous script selection, found the script unappealing and turned down the opportunity. As a result, Salman Khan embraced the role, which ultimately became one of his most cherished performances.

The enduring popularity and affection for Aditya Chopra's 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' remains unmatched even today. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, the film is considered a landmark in Bollywood romance. Interestingly, it's reported that Yash Raj Films initially approached Aamir Khan for the lead role. However, Aamir opted not to pursue the role, choosing instead to focus on his own film 'Rangeela' alongside Urmila Matondkar, which released the same year. 'DDLJ' is widely regarded as a movie that redefined romantic cinema in Bollywood.

Similar to 'DDLJ,' Aditya Chopra offered another successful love story to Aamir Khan, who declined the role. As history has it, Shah Rukh Khan ultimately portrayed the character of Raj, leading to the movie's massive success at the box office.

After a stretch where Salman Khan's movies faced underperformance at the box office, 2015 marked a significant turnaround with his heartfelt performance in 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan.' The film not only resonated with his fans but also earned praise from critics—a rare occurrence in Salman Khan's career.

According to reports, when Kabir Khan approached Aamir Khan for the film, the actor had certain changes in mind for the movie that the filmmaker didn't agree with. Subsequently, the project was offered to Salman Khan, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ashutosh Gowarikar's 'Swades' is another movie that Aamir Khan rejected. Though Aamir and Ashutosh collaborated for the Oscar-nominated 'Lagaan,' the actor refused when approached for Swades. If reports are to be believed, Aamir didn't find the script interesting enough. However, he did play a small part in this movie, which was headlined by Shah Rukh Khan. Though the movie couldn’t make much noise at the box office, it is one of the much-appreciated films in Shah Rukh’s career trajectory.

Another blockbuster from filmmaker Yash Chopra was initially offered to Aamir Khan, who declined the role. The part eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan, and as we all know, the movie is adored by audiences to this day. In the same year, Aamir Khan appeared in another iconic comedy, 'Ishq,' alongside Ajay Devgn, Kajol, and Juhi Chawla.