Emraan Hashmi, who has been struggling in his career in the last few years, could have become the biggest romantic star of 2013 if he hadn’t rejected Aashiqui 2.
Aashiqui 2 poster, actor who was the OG choice to play the lead role
Director Mohit Suri will soon bring the romance back on the big screen with Saiyaara. The filmmaker has a knack for giving musical romances that have proved to be blockbusters. One of his biggest hits is the 2013 film Aashiqui 2. The spiritual successor of the 1990 Aashiqui gave the much-needed breakthrough to its leads- Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur. Post the movie’s release, Aditya and Shraddha became stars; it broke their chain of flops and boosted their career to another level. However, now we have learnt that Aditya wasn’t the original choice for the role of singing star Rahul Jaykar.
The actor who was the OG choice for Aashiqui 2 was…
Mahesh Bhatt’s discovery, Mohit Suri’s first hero, Emraan Hashmi, was the original choice for the lead role in Aashiqui 2. This might surprise, or rather shock you, but Emraan rejected Aashiqui 2. In the 2010s, Emraan was flying high with the success of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. After this gangster drama, he gave a few more hits like The Dirty Picture, Jannat 2, Raaz 3, and Murder 2. Thus, when he was offered Aashiqui 2, the actor rejected the offer, and the makers had to finalise Aditya Roy Kapur for the lead role.
Why Emraan Hashmi Rejected Aashiqui 2?
In an interview with Lallantop, Emraan opened up about losing films that went on to become blockbusters, and there he mentioned Aashiqui 2, one of the titles. When asked about the reason behind rejecting the film, Emraan revealed that both Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri considered him a perfect fit for the role, but he rejected the film. Explainig his decision, Emraan said, “Aashiqui is a franchise that needs to be done with fresh faces. The franchise worked because the lead pair had no public perception, just like the original film (Rahul Roy, Anu Aggarwal). Aashiqui 2 will work with the actors who don’t have a certain public image. Thus, I rejected the film.”
Aashiqui 2 box office collection and Emraan Hashmi’s dwindling career
For the unversed, Aashiqui 2 was among the blockbusters of 2013, earning Rs 109 crores worldwide, over a Rs 15 crores budget. Emraan, on the work front, was last seen in Ground Zero. Despite positive reviews, the film was a major flop. Emraan’s last hit as a solo hero was Raaz 3 (2012).