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The makers offered the film to twelve other actors, including Ajith Kumar, R Madhavan and Mahesh Babu, but they rejected it.
R Madhavan will be soon seen in Kesari: Chapter 2. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
AR Murugadoss’s directorial Ghajini remains one of the biggest blockbusters in the Tamil film industry. Headlined by Suriya and Asin Thottumkal, the much-loved action thriller film created a huge storm at the box office in 2005. But it was not just the powerful storyline or performance that whipped up the buzz, interestingly, Suriya wasn’t the first choice of the director for the titular role. Yes, you heard that right!
Initially, the makers offered the film to twelve other actors, including Ajith Kumar, R Madhavan and Mahesh Babu, but they rejected it. During a conversation with Suriya on social media, R Madhavan revealed that he turned it down, as he reportedly disagreed with the second half of the script.
As reported by Galatta, R Madhavan opened up about rejecting the film and how the role eventually went to Suriya during a live session.
He said, “I was offered a film called Ghajini. I rejected the film as I didn’t like the story, and I told director AR Murugadoss, sir, that the second half of the film didn’t connect with me.”
He then expressed his happiness to see Suriya in the film and shared, “Ghajini went to many heroes and eventually came to you. I was very happy after watching you. I had seen you earlier in Kaakha Kaakha, and I was happy because I felt the role in Ghajini had gone to the right person, which you as well proved.”
In the same conversation, the Kesari: Chapter 2 actor also recalled the sheer dedication Suriya had shown for Ghajini. He revealed that he was stunned to learn the actor had stopped consuming salt in his meals for over a week to achieve the six-pack abs required for the role.
The actor noted, “I watched the hard work you had put in for your role in the film and for achieving your six-pack abs. At the time, it made me wonder whether I could do this since you were working that hard. I remember quite well that you had not consumed any salt for nearly a week for your physique, and it created a disinterest in my work.”
A couple of years later, the film was remade into Hindi with Aamir Khan in the lead with the same name. The Tamil version of Ghajini was made on a budget of Rs 7 crore and minted around Rs 50 crore at the box office. Meanwhile, the Hindi one was made on a budget of Rs 65 crore, and it made around Rs 232 crore worldwide. It was the first-ever Bollywood film to enter the Rs 100 crore club.
