Addinath Kothare Reveals He Was Heartbroken After Being Rejected for Bajirao Mastani

Before Addinath Kothare starred in Kabir Khan’s 83 in the role of former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, the actor had done multiple Marathi movies like Ved Lavi Jeeva, Subhangi and Zapatlela 2. Now the actor has revealed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Bajirao Mastani starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra would have been his big Bollywood break but the role went to his friend actor Vaibhav Tatwawadi instead, who essayed Chimaji Appa in the period drama.

In a chat with Hindustan Times, the Anvatt actor shared that he was heartbroken when he didn’t get the part. He said, “Vaibhav and I were the final two actors for the part. I’ve been a massive Bhansali fan, so getting to work with him was something that I was genuinely looking forward to. However, Vaibhav got that part and I was heartbroken (laughs). It was indeed a bummer. It is the only film from my entire career that I feel I wish I had got.”

However, the actor also added that after a long span of seven years, Sanjay Leela Bhansali finally acknowledged his acting acumen in the costume drama Chandramukh. He disclosed, “I received a message from him and he really loved the film. He said this film has put the Marathi film industry on a certain pedestal. Hopefully, I’ll soon get to work with him.”

Even though Addinath was all geared up to feature alongside Ranveer Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s spectacle, that got fulfilled through Kabir Khan’s film. He stated, “That was sheer coincidence. I never really thought about this. I guess I was supposed to make my Hindi debut with him. It was written [in the stars].”

Based on Nagnath S Inamdar’s Marathi novel Rau, Bajirao Mastani narrated the story of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I (1700–1740 AD) and his second wife, Mastani. The film had won 7 National Film Awards, including Best Direction (Bhansali) and Best Supporting Actress (Shabana Azmi).