Shilpa Shirodkar Was Fat-Shamed, Faced Rejection For Chaiyya Chaiyya, 'Where Will Shah Rukh Stand?'

Shilpa Shirodkar was a leading actress in Hindi cinema in the early 90s. She made her Bollywood debut in 1989 with Ramesh Sippy’s film, Bhrashtachar. After a brief stint, Shilpa quit acting in 2000 when she got married to a UK-based banker, Aparesh Ranjit. After a 13-year gap, she made her comeback in 2013 with Zee TV’s show Ek Mutthi Aasmaan. 

Younger sister of former actress, Namrata Shirodkar and sister-in-law of Telugu superstar, Mahesh Babu, Shilpa, was recently seen in the reality show, Bigg Boss 18. Shilpa had played many versatile roles in many popular Hindi films but later quit acting when she got married. Shilpa was once the leading lady on the silver screen. But do you know she was the first choice for the popular song, Chaiyya Chaiyya?

Shilpa Shirodkar was rejected for 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' as she was reportedly fat

Yes, the popular song, which featured Malaika Arora along with Shah Rukh Khan, was first offered to Shilpa. However, the actress lost the opportunity as she was ‘fat’. During a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Shilpa revealed how she was fat-shamed and stated that she was not suitable for the part. In her words:

“She just said that we will work some other time because they are looking for someone else. ‘You are a little fatter’. Something like this… I don’t even remember anymore. I know I missed it because I was fat. I will always feel bad that I didn’t get Chaiyya Chaiyya but God gave me much more and he is still giving me.”

Farah Khan reveals the reason behind rejecting Shilpa Shirodkar

During a chat on her YouTube channel, Farah Khan spoke about wanting to cast Shilpa Shirodkar instead of Malaika Arora for Chaiyya Chaiyya. However, the filmmaker was taken aback by Shilpa's appearance, as she was overweight. Recalling the same, Farah said:

“I came to Shilpa to ask her for ‘Chhaiya Chhaiya’. But something must have happened to her because at that time, she was at least 100 kgs. So I thought ‘how will she get on the train?’ And if she gets on, where will Shah Rukh stand?”

Shilpa Shirodkar worked with some of the leading names in Hindi cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Sridevi, Suniel Shetty, Shah Rukh Khan, and many more. Some of Shilpa Shirodkar's famous films include Trinetra, Hum, Khuda Gawah, Aankhen, Pehchaan, Gopi Kishan, Bewafa Sanam, Mrityudand, Gaja Gamini, and many more. She quit films at the peak of her career when she got married to a UK-based merchant banker named Apresh Ranjit.

Shilpa Shirodkar shares a warm bond with her sister, Namrata Shirodkar, which strengthened after their parents' deaths. We have often seen the two ladies penning heartfelt notes for each other on their respective social media handles. Shilpa and Namrata are the granddaughters of the legendary Marathi theatre and television actress, Meenakshi Shirodkar. Shilpa is younger than Namrata, but people often get confused as she made her Bollywood debut before Namrata and also got married first.

What do you think about Shilpa Shirodkar’s rejection and being fat-shamed? Let us know.

Also Read: Shatrughan Sinha Indirectly Blamed Rekha For His Fight With Amitabh Bachchan, 'She Would Come...'

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