That "Bajirao Mastani" was supposed to be made with Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan isn't news anymore, but what's surprising to know is that Katrina Kaif was once being considered as the leading lady.

According to Subhash K Jha's report, the "Sultan" actor recommended his ex-girlfriend's name to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's for Mastani's role, but things didn't fall into place and so the filmmaker moved on to Kareena Kapoor Khan.

When Salman-Kareena's Jodi fell through, Sanjay walked up to Ajay Devgn hoping he would fit well with the peshwa context. But that too didn't work out, when the actor charged a whopping amount for the role.

After few heroes and a decade later, Sanjay finally found his Bajirao in Ranveer Singh but he wasn't sure about him as well.

The director was dubious about how the young actor would translate his uncontrollable energy into the central character's aggression. However, he managed to convince Sanjay with his dedication and sincerity and the rest is history.

Ranveer went into sort of an exile to prepare for the intense role. He had reportedly locked himself up in a hotel room and cut down on communication with the outside world.

"Once I go into this zone, I want to go into the depths of it. I have a physical transformation that I have to do, I have to shave my head bald. I think am going to explore myself as an actor creatively as much as I can with this character. I will definitely be going into a zone and go underground, it will be for a long time but I think it will be worth it," the actor told Bollywood Life in a quick chat, last year.

Scheduled to release on 18 December, the film also features Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai  and Deepika Padukone as Mastani. 

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