Saaho: Not Shraddha but Alia Bhatt was to star opposite Prabhas. Here’s why she refused

From the day Saaho was announced, the Prabhas -starrer has been in the limelight. As the first film after the mega success of the Baahubali series, expectations are naturally sky-high for any move Prabhas makes. One of the most talked about topics vis-a-vis Saaho was who would star opposite him. One the actors being considered was Alia Bhatt .

According to a report in India Today, Alia refused the part as it was small as compared to Prabhas’ role. This, despite the fact that her mentor Karan Johar asked her to consider the deal.

Quoting a source, the report said, “Alia is currently busy setting a league of her own by taking up some really good performance-oriented roles. So at a stage when she’s setting such a bright example as far as her film choices are concerned, she doesn’t want to break the chain by doing a film where she is more like a supporting cast. Even her family approved of her decision and has no regrets whatsoever. So does it mean, Shraddha got lucky all thanks to Alia? I mean, had Alia not rejected the film, the makers wouldn’t have even approached Shraddha, right? Nevertheless, it’s quite a win-win situation for Shraddha, though!”

Before Shraddha bagged the part, it was rumoured that Anushka Shetty, Prabhas’ co-star in five Telugu films including the blockbuster Baahubali series, was expected to reunite with him in Saaho. That wasn’t to be. Rumours kept doing the rounds that her weight was a major concern for the makers. However, it was later reported that Anushka could not make room for Saaho as she had already committed to another big budget Tamil film.

With an eye on the pan-Indian audience, the makers of Saaho have roped in quite a few Bollywood names -- Jackie Shroff , Chunky Pandey, Mandira Bedi and Neil Nitin Mukesh . The female lead issue was finally settled when Shradhha Kapoor gave her nod for the project.

The film, which began its shooting schedule in Mumbai earlier this year, is slated for release in 2018.