- Genelia D’Souza, Yahoo, India, 2009. After sacking his (famously ill-mannered) leading lady, Jiah Khan, director Ken Ghosh first offered her role to Katrina Kaif, then Kangana and finally Genelia.
- Anjana Sukhani, Department, India, 2011. The (alleged) cop/political thriller won awful reviews and director Ram Gopal Verma (Amitabh Bachchan’s mentor) blamed his star, Sanjay Dutt, for interferring too much. He had, apparently, forced Ranault out and Sukhani in and kept trying to change the script.
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sarbjit, India, 2015. Ranaut had talks, but when Bachchan showed interest in the biopic, it was no contest. Ageing beween 20s and 60s, Ash became Dalbir, sister of Sarabit Singh, a farmer imprisoned, tortured amnd sentenced to death by Pakistan as a terrorist instead of a drunk stumbling the Indo-Pakistan border without realising it in 1990. His execution was repeatedly delayed. With no light, sanitation or his body began to rot. When Dalbir first visited him, he’d lost 70% of his body weight, had infectous wounds, black teeth and nails. Finally, he was killed by fellow inmates in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail. Needless to report, Pakistan banned the film for being anti-Pakistan.
- Sonam Kapoor, Neerja, India. 2015. After thoughts about Ranaut and Katrina Kapoor was selected for flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, one of the heroines of the terrorist-attacked PanAm flight 73 on September 5th 1986. Kapoor won the National best actress award but when Bhanot’s mother met her, she declared: “My daughter
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 4