After the infamous breakup of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan, making ‘Bajirao Mastani’ seemed like a distant dream for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but fate decided to make the film with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. However, there was huge speculation that Aishwarya walked out of SLB's Bajirao Mastani, but years later, the ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ actress addressed the rumours and implicitly stated her condition of not working with Salman, who was purportedly the film's Bajirao.
Ash reportedly stated in an interview that she was thrilled portraying Mastani but not with Bhansali's Bajirao.
" Well, I was game to play Mastani, but not with the Bajirao he had in mind. So, this was evident, probably nationally. The media made it out to be that Aishwarya walked out of Bajirao Mastani. We hadn’t communicated then because I was in the hospital with my leg laid up."
According to sources, Salman Khan took Katrina Kaif to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's office and informed him she was his Mastani, but the filmmaker was not convinced. Subhash K. Jha revealed in one of the anecdotes, " After the Aishwarya-Salman pair became unachievable, Salman wanted Bhansali to cast Katrina Kaif as Mastani. In fact, Salman personally took Katrina to SLB’s home and introduced her to the director, saying, ‘This is your Mastani.'”
(Also Read: Aishwarya Rai Calling Salman Khan 'My Life' In A Viral Clip Leaves Netizens SPEECHLESS! (Watch Video))
Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had a nasty quarrel, and she was accused of physically hurting her, according to sources, while the Tiger 3 star firmly denied the charges. Salman and Aishwarya haven't been under the same roof since, and despite being in the profession for years, they've always avoided coming face to face.