Shaad Ali's crime comedy film Bunty Aur Babli was released 20 years ago, on May 27, 2005. The film was led by Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. In a recent conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the director made some surprising revelations, including that Hrithik Roshan was the original choice to play the male lead.
The filmmaker further said that Rani Mukerji was always supposed to be the leading lady of the movie. But in the case of the male lead, Hrithik Roshan was not ready to enter the small-town space yet. Despite several conversations with him and his filmmaker-father Rakesh Roshan, things couldn't materialise. Interestingly, it was Hrithik Roshan who came up with the killer ending of Bunty Aur Babli.
What
- Bunty Aur Babli completed 20 years of its release yesterday. The film starred Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji in the lead. It also featured Amitabh Bachchan in a key role and a cameo by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the popular song "Kajra Re".
- Director Shaad Ali revealed Hrithik Roshan was the initial choice for the male lead. The director told Bollywood Hungama, "Yes, we did meet Hrithik as he was our first choice. We sat for a few months with him. Rakesh ji liked the script a lot and he was keen that Hrithik should sign the film."
- Citing the reason why the War actor rejected the role, Shaad Ali said, "Hrithik was not very comfortable entering the small-town space at that time. He did a very good job of it later in Super 30 (2019), though. Back then, he had his reservations. He did, however, have many creative ideas for the film. In fact, it was Hrithik's idea that Bunty and Babli should return to conning in the final scene. He reasoned, 'They're like Superman! They can't go back to normal life and never return to the con world.' Originally, the story ended with Bunty and Babli being let off and becoming law-abiding citizens. I should have thanked Hrithik in the credits."
The Plot
Bunty Aur Babli tells the story of two small-town con artists, played by Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, and a police officer (Amitabh Bachchan) who is on a neverending hunt to track them down.
Rakesh Trivedi (Abhishek Bachchan) and Vimmi Saluja (Rani Mukerji) hide their identities and soon begin robbing people under the aliases of Bunty and Babli. With one trick following the other, the duo became famous for their notorious acts across the country.
How Bunty Aur Babli Ended
Considering Shaad Ali acknowledged Hrithik Roshan's contribution to the film's climax, here's a recap.
The film ended with Bunty and Babli giving up on crime after becoming parents. For the sake of their newborn child, they express deep remorse to JCP Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) and promise to do better.
The police officer also has a change of heart and lets them go. The twist comes three years when Dashrath Singh asks Bunty and Babli to use their conning skills as government operatives to catch scammers.
Remake And Sequel
Following its success, Bunty Aur Babli was remade in Telugu with the title Bhale Dongalu. The 2008 black comedy film was directed by K Vijaya Bhaskar and had Tarun, Ileana D'Cruz, and Jagapati Babu in the lead.
A sequel to Bunty Aur Babli was also made in 2021. While Rani Mukerji returned as Babli (real name Sonia Rawat), Saif Ali Khan starred as the male lead Kunal Singh, also known as Bunty. It was a fresh story of two individuals who heard the story of the original Bunty and Babli and escaped from the clutches of law. Sonia and Kunal believe they could have the same destiny.
The film, which received lukewarm response at the box office, also featured Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari Wagh in the supporting cast.
In A Nutshell
For fans, it would take a little time to visualize Hrithik Roshan opposite Rani Mukerji in Bunty Aur Babli, which went on to become one of Yash Raj Films' most popular titles.
Even though Hrithik Roshan rejected the role of the main lead in Bunty Aur Babli, his contribution in adding a twist to the ending sequence is worth a mention.
