Raanjhanaa was not just a film but an emotion. The Aanand L Rai directorial gave Dhanush his smashing debut in Bollywood and several awards to top up with. But were you aware that the South Star was not the first choice to play the lead in this? While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Rai revealed that he had Ranbir Kapoor in his mind initially.
Aanand started the conversation by revealing that it was the time when his Tanu Weds Manu became a smashing. “If I had more faith in myself, I would have made Tanu Weds Manu 2. But I and Himanshu (Sharma) felt that a story like Raanjhanaa needed to be told,” the filmmaker said while sharing that they figured out that what worked in their case was simply being true to their story and casting.
Rai added, “An actor who keeps himself simple and lets himself blend into the crowd, which is a difficult thing, I believe, is Ranbir Kapoor, but he was not available at that time and as we were searching for such an actor, we found Dhanush.” The director further stressed that Raanjhanaa was destined for the fate of Dhanush which literally blew everyone’s mind with his performance in it.
Raanjhanaa also starred Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhasker, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles and was a massive commercial success. AR Rahman crafted music for this 2013 classic that featured songs like Tum Tak, Piya Milenge, Tu Mun Shudi, Banarasiya, Nazar Laaye, and the hit title track.
After Raanjhanaa, Aanand L Rai and Dhanush reunited in 2021 for the romantic drama Atrangi Re which also starred Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. Pinkvilla has been keeping its audiences updated with Rai and Dhanush’s next titled Tere Ishk Mein which might also star Kriti Sanon.
Our source told us, “Kriti Sanon heard the narration from Aanand L Rai a couple of months back and has shown interest in getting into the world of this action love story. The story aside, the actress has also liked her character’s arc and the way it transforms in the story.” The film is likely to begin shooting in October this year and will eye for a 2025 release.
