Devdas alternate casting with Amisha Patel and Urmila Matondkar

Some time back, there was a photoshoot of Devdas with Amisha Patel as Paro, Urmila Matondkar as Chandramukhi, and Kunal Kapoor as Devdas.

Bhansali's Devdas is a classic but if we lived in an alternate world with this casting, would people appreciate it? I don't know if either of these two actresses were ever considered by Bhansali but I don't think it's entirely impossible either.

Bhansali had been wanting to work with Amisha Patel after Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Gadar for some projects. We don't know what projects those are except that Amisha's manager prevented her from working with Bhansali. She has the delicate looks that Aish has that could make me see Bhansali considering her for Paro. This would have been around the same time she was considered for Chalte Chalte with SRK as well before Amisha's manager rejected the role without telling her.

As for Madhuri, we know Bhansali loved her and had been trying to work with her for a long time. I think Khamoshi was originally meant for her and in all his films, he kept trying to cast her but it wasn't until Devdas that he finally got her. If Madhuri had been unable to do this film as well, I wonder if he would have gone with Urmila next. She has the dance skills and in the early 2000s, when most of Madhuri's 90s contemporaries like Juhi, Kajol, and Karishma were retiring or acting less, that left Urmila as the main 90s heroine whose career was still going strong and steady.

I don’t think Amisha or Kunal could do justice to these parts but Urmila could definitely pull off Chandramukhi, I always felt Madhuri looked a bit aunty-like in Devdas so perhaps Urmila is a better choice

Originally posted by: Shaitan-Haiwan

I don’t think Amisha or Kunal could do justice to these parts but Urmila could definitely pull off Chandramukhi, I always felt Madhuri looked a bit aunty-like in Devdas so perhaps Urmila is a better choice

Madhuri always looked older to me when you put her next to SRK or Salman. I remember always feeling that way when I saw her movies with them for some reason. I don't know why.

I think it will be great.

Only Urmila would suit the role. No to Kunal and a very big NO to Amisha.

Edit - on second thoughts, Kunal could have fit the role... But still a no to Amisha.

Amisha is a good actress but no she won't be perfect for that role, it's Aish's beauty and dancing that gathered praise for the film even though aish did bad acting. I like urmila so I am bias towards her but madhuri with classic dance was perfect with aish dancing together.

Edit: Even though Kunal looks good, he does not seem like a good actor in my opinion, I saw maybe like one film of him. srk with jackie chemistry is fine for the film so no replacement there, loved srk in the film.

Has Urmila ever done a mujra dance?

Only Urmila..she would have killed it though Madz was spectacular and it is so hard to even imagine anyone touching humpe yeh kis ne hara rang dala..that eye moment alone has more depth than full movie performances of many actors

Ameesha in Aish's shoes..LMAO..Aish was magic..she acted beautifully and the legendary dola re dola..imagine ameesha doing that..please..for crying out loud

The way Bhansali wanted to portray the novel like a visual feast with hyped emotions, he really got the right leading trio where each of them elevated this sad story through their sheer presence and interacting.

Aish (I guess, SRK may have supported this choice) is this kind of beauty that absolutely fits in those settings (I won't go into her character portray...it also fitted to her, I felt).

Madhuri and her maturity elevated Chandramukhi's low social position to a kind of self determination that was a fabulous contrast to Devdas' weakness in a much higher social position.

And as I already wrote somewhere, SRK (fortunately) had not played a Dilip Kumar copy but his very own (non-romantic) self-pitying Devdas (so great in combination with Jackie Shroff!).

I think, for the portray, Bhansali wanted to paint (like the artist he is) he had found the perfect cast (also with the supporting roles)...to me, it had been (and still is) like a great theatre experience (which Sanjay tried to repeat with other movies then).

I believe Kajol was the first choice for Devdas in the Paro role but she rejected it. Basically every SRK film back then was offered to her first but she would reject them (Mohabbatein, Veer-Zaara, KANK).

She and Aish were also both up for Gadar.