Director Maniratnam's 1999 political crime thriller Roja is an evergreen film that launched the careers of its lead stars Arvind Swamy and Madhubala.

The music in the film was highly acclaimed and remains an unforgettable work of AR Rahman to date. The film was only the beginning of ARR-Manieratnam's magical collaboration.

But, unknown to many, Aishwarya Rai was first approached to play Roja in the film, however, she declined it due to date issues. It was said that Aishwarya Rai later revealed she regretted the decision and admitted that ut was a decision her grandmother made against her will to act in another Telugu film which was eventually canceled.

We wonder how the film would have turned out if Aishwarya Rai sang 'Chinna Chinna Aasai' instead of Madhubala. But, the actress redeemed herself by accepting Maniratnam's 'Iruvar' which captured her eternal beauty and talent on-screen.

Source: i Qlik Movies
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