Back in the early 2000s, Sanjay Leela Bhansali was assembling his dream cast for ‘Devdas’, his grand adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s timeless novel.While Shah Rukh Khan was always the first choice to play Devdas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had initially considered Saif Ali Khan for the role of Chunilal, Devdas’ loyal yet flawed friend. However, the collaboration never materialised, and the part eventually went to Jackie Shroff.Setting the record straight in a 2001 interview with journalist Nilufer Qureshi, Saif clarified that, contrary to rumours, he never turned down the offer. “Though Sanjay Bhansali thinks I’m silly, let me make it very clear that I didn’t turn him down. There was a miscommunication between us on the price. Also, let me clarify that I didn’t ask for an obscene sum of money,” he said.
‘Hopelessly miscast’ — Why Saif felt the role wasn’t his
Interestingly, even though he was considered for Chunilal, Saif admitted he wasn’t convinced he was right for the part. “I felt I’d be hopelessly miscast as Chunilal. I didn’t think the role suited Motilal either in Bimal Roy’s Devdas. But at least, Motilal and Chunilal rhyme,” he quipped with humour. His words reflected both honesty and self-awareness about his craft at a time when he was still shaping his career in mainstream cinema.
