Aanand L Rai Reveals Ranbir Kapoor Was First Choice for 'Raanjhanaa' Before Dhanush: 'But He Was...'

South superstar Dhanush made a remarkable entry into the Hindi film industry with the 2013 romantic drama ‘Raanjhanaa’. His exceptional performance won over audiences and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut in 2014. However, in a recent interview, director Aanand L Rai revealed that Dhanush wasn’t the original choice for the role. Rai initially wanted to cast Ranbir Kapoor, but due to scheduling conflicts, Kapoor was unavailable.

Speaking with Bollywood Hungama, Rai shared, “As a director who had just tasted success with Tanu Weds Manu, if I had more faith in myself, I would have made Tanu Weds Manu 2. But I and Himanshu (Sharma) felt that a story like Raanjhanaa needed to be told. We figured out that what has worked for us is our story, being true to our story and casting.”

Rai continued, “An actor who keeps himself simple and lets himself blend into the crowd, which is a difficult thing, I believe, is Ranbir Kapoor, but he was not available at that time and as we were searching for such an actor, we found Dhanush.” The director emphasized that ‘Raanjhanaa’ was destined to be made with Dhanush.

The film, which also starred Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhasker, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, became a significant commercial success. With a budget of Rs 30 crore, ‘Raanjhanaa’ earned Rs 60 crore in India and grossed Rs 94 crore worldwide. AR Rahman’s music played a crucial role in the film’s success, with songs like ‘Tum Tak,’ ‘Piya Milenge,’ ‘Tu Mun Shudi,”Banarasiya,’ ‘Nazar Laaye,’ and the title track becoming chart-topping hits.

Following ‘Raanjhanaa’, Aanand L Rai and Dhanush teamed up again for the 2021 romantic drama ‘Atrangi Re’, co-starring Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. Rai’s upcoming film, ‘Tere Ishk Mein’, will also feature Dhanush in the lead role, with reports suggesting that Kriti Sanon will star opposite him.

Pinkvilla has quoted a source saying, “Kriti Sanon heard the narration from Aanand L Rai a couple of months back and has shown interest to get into the world of this action love story. The story aside, the actress has also liked her character’s arc and the way it transforms in the story. She has given a verbal yes to the film in the meeting today, however, the paperwork is expected to take place in a fortnight,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further that the actress had a meeting with Aanand L Rai today in Andheri to discuss the project.

The source further added “Much like Abhay Deol in Raanjhanaa, Tere Ishk Mein also has the scope for a strong author-backed character. The makers are in talks with multiple actors for the part and the same will be locked soon.” The film shooting is likely to start in October this year and will be released in 2025.