Rekha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shraddha Kapoor: Bollywood actors who were replaced midway through filming

Veteran actor Rekha had already filmed scenes for her character Begum Hazrat in ‘Fitoor’, but midway through the shoot filmmakers decided to bring in Tabu instead. According to Bollywood Life, the creative team felt the role demanded a different emotional depth, prompting the change. Later, Tabu stepped into the role. Director Abhishek Kapoor in an interview to PTI shared, “This character would have taken months to prepare as it is so layered. We are thankful to Tabu for graciously coming on board in three days and rescuing us,” he told the news agency.

In the romantic drama ‘Chalte Chalte’, Aishwarya Rai had begun filming opposite Shah Rukh Khan. However, she was later replaced by Rani Mukerji amid reported disruptions on set related to off-screen circumstances at the time. In an old viral video on Reddit, in which SRK expressed his regret over replacing Aishwarya. He explained that the actress was a close friend and a favourite co-actress with whom he had shared several memorable films, including 'Josh', 'Mohabbatein', and 'Devdas'. SRK admitted that having to let her go for the project was personally very saddening, and he felt genuinely sorry about the situation.

Shraddha Kapoor was originally signed to portray badminton champion Saina Nehwal in the biographical film ‘Saina’. As stated by Mumbai Mirror, due to delays with physical preparation and scheduling conflicts, she was eventually replaced by Parineeti Chopra even after initial filming had begun. At the film's trailer launch, when asked if she felt an added pressure to pick up a role that Kapoor had already started preparing for, Chopra said focused only on playing the part to the best of her ability.

Armaan Kohli started shooting for the 1992 film ‘Deewana’, but left the project early on. His exit opened the door for Shah Rukh Khan to take over the role, a casting switch that ended up launching SRK’s illustrious film career. According to Screen, producer Guddu Dhanoa revealed that Armaan Kohli was initially cast but left midway, leading filmmaker Shekhar Kapur to suggest Khan as a replacement.

As stated by Bombay Times, Rinke Khanna was initially cast in a key role in the crime drama ‘Company’, but the director later felt the part required a stronger screen presence. She was replaced by Manisha Koirala, who re-shot the portions to fit the final vision of the film. 'Company' went on to be a critically acclaimed blockbuster, with Koirala's performance being well-received.