This Aishwarya Rai film, based on a Jane Austen novel, was rejected by ‘leading actors who openly said…’, lead role was then played by…

Kandukondain Kandukondain, based on Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility, was well-received upon its release. The film was commercially successful and also won a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards South.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was at the peak of her film career when she starred in Rajiv Menon’s 2000 romantic drama Kandukondain Kandukondain. Apart from the Bollywood beauty, the film also starred Mammootty, Tabu, Ajith Kumar, and Abbas in the lead roles. Kandukondain Kandukondain went on to be appreciated for both its storyline and its music, composed by AR Rahman; however, there was a lot of tussle when the lead actor in the film was cast. 

Why did ‘leading actors’ reject Aishwarya Rai’s Kandukondain Kandukondain?

In a recent interview, director Rajiv Menon shared how he cast Mammootty as Major Bala in Kandukondain Kandukondain, admitting that finding the right actor for the role made the casting process challenging. Rajiv Menon, in a conversation with Sudhir Srinivasan, revealed that several ‘leading actors’ were approached for the role of Major Bala, but they all rejected it, before Malayalam superstar Mammootty agreed to do it. 

In the film Kandukondain Kandukondain, Major Bala, played by Mammootty, bears unexpressed love for Aishwarya Rai’s Meenakshi.

Sharing details about the character, Rajiv Menon said, “The beauty of that character is that he is an alcoholic and a war veteran who lost a leg. But back then, some leading actors rejected the role, openly saying they did not want to play a man with one leg. Mammootty, on the other hand, never once considered it a drawback.”

Kandukondain Kandukondain is based on which Jane Austen novel? 

Kandukondain Kandukondain, based on Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility, was well-received upon its release. The film was commercially successful and also won a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards South.

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