Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi: Bollywood celebs who had to be replaced in films after their sudden demise

There have been many reasons why actors have been replaced in movies, but nothing has been as tragic as an actor having to be replaced due to their sudden demise. With Amitabh Bachchan stepping in to fill in the shoes of the late Rishi Kapoor, we take a look at other B-town actors from Ayushmann Khurrana to Madhuri Dixit who stepped in to replace actors in films after their sudden passing.

Rishi Kapoor had fans excited to watch him share screen space with Deepika Padukone in the Hindi remake of the Hollywood hit, ‘The Intern’. However, owing to his sudden passing away last April, the film was put on the back-burner, until the makers roped in megastar Amitabh Bachchan to step in as his replacement. "What an absolute honour to be collaborating with one of my most special co-stars again! Welcoming @amitabhbachchan to the Indian adaptation of #TheIntern," actor-producer Deepika announced while also sharing the new poster of the film.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise last June left fans and the film industry in shambles. Besides working on his space film, the actor was also in talks for multiple movies, including director Abhishek Kapoor's ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’. The actor-director duo was set to reunite for the project, but because of his sudden demise, it was reported that Ayushmann Khurrana would step in to play the part. Making it official in an Instagram post, Ayushmann said, “Excited to be a part of Abhishek Kapoor's delightful progressive love story #ChandigarhKareAashiqui. Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Pragya Kapoor co-starring Vaani Kapoor.”

Sridevi’s sudden passing sent shockwaves all through B-town and the country at large. Among the many things that were left unfinished, was Karan Johar’s ambitious film ‘Kalank’ and the Abhishek Verman directorial ‘Shiddat’. With the fate of the film hanging in the balance, the filmmakers turned to actress Madhuri Dixit to step in and play the roles originally offered to Sridevi.

Actress Divya Bharti’s sudden passing away, while at the peak of her film career, was one of the most shocking incidences in B-town. At the time, the actress had signed several films, including ‘Mohra’, as the leading lady opposite Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. The actress had reportedly even shot a few of her scenes, but after her death, Raveena Tandon was called in to replace her in the film that went on to become a massive hit in 1994.

When legendary Bollywood star Guru Dutt passed away, he was shooting for the film ‘Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi’. After mourning his demise and honouring his memory, the team decided to pick up where they left off and brought Dharmendra on board to complete the film.