Star value is respected and acknowledged across the globe. However, in the Hollywood film industry, casting suitable actors trumps the star value. You will see the lengths and breadths that the Hollywood actors and actresses go to fit into a character and that it shows how serious this casting thing is in the Hollywood city.
On the other hand, Bollywood highly relies upon the star power. The filmmakers have less faith in themselves and put a lot of faith in Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan rather than focusing on a suitable cast.
Hence, many of the movies don’t get the much-needed recognition that the story of the film really deserves. Today, we will be sharing a good list of worst cast examples in Bollywood that would stir a huge debate on this matter. The list includes some of your favorite stars and you may agree on a few inclusions while you may argue for a few others.
Feel free to share your opinions about it in the comments section below.
Casting Failures in Bollywood
Personally, I don’t think there’s a lot of thought put behind the casting for a film, at least not for the lead stars. Although the trend is somewhat changing, still most filmmakers simply pick their favorites and work exclusively with them as they don’t wish to experiment with others or for other reasons.
Such favoritism and profit-oriented mindset led to some worse casting in the following Bollywood films:
Salman Khan in Tubelight
Well, I am ready to face all the criticism regarding this pick but just for once, you must ask yourself if Salman fit the character in the film. And, the answer will be no.
Salman’s persona and his looks were completely opposite to a dim-minded person, the character he was portraying in Tubelight. Aamir Khan, the perfectionist he is, could have done justice to the role much better whereas Salman didn’t even try to get into the role.
If you show Salman as dim-witted, he can either be a Prem of Andaz Apna Apna or Pawan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan but not Laxman in Tubelight.
Shah Rukh Khan in Jab Harry Met Sejal
Shah Rukh Khan is the King of Romance and even at the age of 50 he can deliver some sizzling performance as the romantic hero but wait. It’s also a fact that there’s a staggering difference between what he was in the mid-90s and what he is today.
While he had a great pairing with Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, he simply looked too old against a young and vibrant Anushka Sharma. He could have justified the role if the pairing was a older man and a younger woman but that wasn’t the case.
Also, Shah Rukh Khan must accept the fact that he’s aging and he should focus on playing characters like the ones in Dear Zindagi, Chak De!, or Swades more and build romance within those characters.
Katrina Kaif in Jab Tak Hai Jaan
If there’s an award for the coldest performance in a film in Bollywood, the award would go to Katrina Kaif for portraying Meera in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
It’s a fact that Katrina lacks a lot when it comes to acting but in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, it seemed as though the filmmakers forced her to act. She didn’t seem interested at all. Despite poor acting skills, she had delivered some good performances in films like Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani, Singh is King, Namaste London, etc.
However, her portrayal of Meera in Yash Chopra’s last film was simply disappointing. The film would have been better if it was Kajol or Tabu picked for the role.
Abhishek Bachchan in Raavan
For those who aren’t aware must know that the 2010 Hindi film Raavan was released simultaneously alongside the Tamil film Raavanan with a slightly different cast.
The titular role was played by Vikram in the Tamil version, whereas he played the cop in the Hindi version. Abhishek Bachchan played the titular character in the Hindi version but was nowhere close to the performance delivered by Vikram in the Tamil film.
The depth required for such an intense character missed in Abhishek performance. Many believed that Vikram must have reprised the role in Hindi and Abhishek could have played the cop. The box office fate of the film would have been completely different then.
The 2010 film Housefull saw Akshay Kumar playing a character who carries bad luck with him. Well, Akshay Kumar, as we know, can play versatile roles but he can’t play all types of characters.
You can’t show him as someone with low confidence because he doesn’t look like one. Maybe because he is the supreme Khiladi of Indian cinema, we can’t picture him as someone who lacks confidence.
And that’s the reason to include his casting as Aarush in 2010 film Housefull as one of the worst casting examples in Bollywood. Although the film did well at the Box Office, Housefull could have been even more memorable if Akki’s character was twisted a bit. Look at the next two films and you will know what I am referring to.
Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One
Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One tanked at the box office like anything. The highly anticipated and promising film of 2011 based on digital gaming and superhero theme was way beyond its time. However, there were a few casting errors too in the film.
A gaming designer isn’t a scientist and there was no need for Shah Rukh Khan to portray as a South Indian Einstein in his role as Shekhar Subramanium. Also, his portrayal of G.One wasn’t up to the mark either. The gaming industry attracts the youth and instead of an aged star like SRK, the filmmaker must have roped in a younger star to play the character of G.One.
Shah Rukh Khan played the double role in his ambitious 2016 film Fan. Again, there’s no clear explanation to why complicate things when you can always rope in a new younger actor to portray as the fan in this film. Whether it was SRK’s idea or the filmmaker’s, I couldn’t see it as a great idea. SRK was perfect as the celebrity star and there’s no doubt that he is the King of Bollywood but the character of the fan was too mediocre as per me.
The SRK of the 90s as a fan could have made justice but the psychopathic elements were missing in his portrayal as Gaurav Chandna which was the true element of this film. Maybe, SRK feared that he would simply be a supporting character if someone else portrayed the character of the fan. Hence, decided to play it himself.
Whatever may be the reason, the film had the potential to become one of the greatest films in Bollywood if only the casting was right.
Yes, the critic in me hasn’t spared Mr. Perfectionist either. Aamir Khan is known for the determination and efforts he puts in to become the character he plays in his films.
Hence, he often focuses on one film at a time, unlike other stars who aren’t that committed to a particular character. However, there are few roles which even Aamir Khan can’t pull off. Despite his brilliant performance in the double role, you can always feel something’s missing in Dhoom 3. The benchmark set by John Abraham and later Hrithik Roshan in the franchise could be the reason too.
However, I feel that Aamir would have been better as a cop in Dhoom and the villain could have been either Akki or SRK. Even though the plot demanded double role, I didn’t find it necessary as there wasn’t a single interrogation scene or caught in camera scene where this element will come into play where he would use his twin brother as the alibi.
Shraddha Kapoor in Haseena Parkar
Shraddha Kapoor is a fine actress but she is definitely not a matured one to essay the role as strong as Haseena Parker. Well, when you think about Haseena Parker, Dawood Ibrahim’s name also comes to your mind.
Being the sister of the most notorious criminal ever in the Indian history, you need the best to portray the role in the film. Shraddha Kapoor required a lot of makeup and touch-ups to look like Haseena Parker. It could have been more appropriate if the younger Haseena Parker was played by her and the older one was portrayed by someone elderly like Supriya Pathak or Tanvi Azmi.
Everyone was excited when Ram Gopal Varma decided to remake Sholay in his own style. However, the film nearly ended his career in Bollywood.
The film had an amazing cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn, Sushmita Sen, and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi. Yet, the characters assigned to these actors didn’t go well with the audience. Amitabh Bachchan played Babban, a character similar to Gabbar in the original film.
It was the worst performance of his career and didn’t fit the role at all. Also, Ajay Devgn couldn’t repeat the magic Dharmendra created as Veeru in the original flick. The only positive was Mohanlal.
Himesh Reshammiya in Karzzzz
I don’t really believe in remakes. There’s always a reason why a particular film was a blockbuster at the time of its release and there’s no way you can replace it.
You can always recreate the film with the similar plot for the new generation considering modern day trends. However, if you are just trying to bank on the original film’s success just as Satish Kaushik and Bhushan Kumar tried with the 2008 film Karzzzz. I wonder what must have been the reason to cast Himesh Reshammiya as the lead.
He is a successful singer and composer but that doesn’t make him a great actor. The work and efforts put in by Rishi Kapoor as Monty was completely ruined by Himesh Reshammiya in the remake.
Khushi (The Lead Cast)
The 2003 Hindi film Khushi is actually the remake of Tamil blockbuster film Kushi starring Vijay and Jyothika. In the Hindi version, the lead roles were portrayed by Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor.
The film tanked at the box office and the main reason being the worst casting. Fardeen Khan couldn’t act, while Kareena Kapoor ruined the entire show with her overacting. The film could have enjoyed a similar success as the Tamil version if the lead cast was chosen wisely.
Shah Rukh Khan in Asoka
Asoka is one of the greatest emperors of India. He is often considered at par with Alexander the Great. While making a film on Asoka, the persona and the stature of the legendary king must be taken into consideration.
When Shahrukh Khan was cast as Asoka, he couldn’t justify the big persona, either with his acting or the looks. Asoka was an emperor of the Maurya Dynasty and the way things were portrayed in the film, it seemed like the story of a poor village. The royal theme was missing and SRK looked like a young petite boy.
Sonam Kapoor in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Rajshri films are known for its soft nature and simplicity. However, Sonam Kapoor took that very seriously in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. While every other character was up to the mark, Sonam Kapoor was totally out of place. She looked rich but couldn’t carry the Princess character well.
She was too soft which didn’t suit her character where she is shown to be someone who is a doer rather than a follower. Even her character lacked depth as she was simply posing but not at all acting throughout the film.
Over to you!
These were some of the worst casting examples in Bollywood. I know that some of the inclusions must have shocked you or even disappointed you. Well, that’s our list and we can always discuss it in the comments section below.
You can also suggest any worst casting examples in Bollywood that we missed on our list.
Rajeesh Nair is a true Gizmofreak and an addictive movie buff. He blogs at LifeBlender.com – a lifestyle Blogzine which focuses on general life related topics of the 21st Century.
