Long before Ranbir Kapoor took over the role of Lord Ram in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious Ramayana, Bollywood was likely to have seen another big-screen adaptation of the epic with Salman Khan as the lead actor. Salman was even expected to play Lord Ram in a Ramayana movie, according to his younger brother Sohail Khan, but this film was ultimately put on the back burner after all of that hard work.
The ambitious mythological movie had already finished nearly 40% of its production in what was termed a 'announced failure', according to reports. Actress Sonali Bendre was cast as Sita, and promotional footage of Salman Khan in Lord Ram's clothes with a bow and arrow had already been generating buzz amongst fans.
A reason behind the cancellation of the project was the reported relationship between Sohail Khan and actress Pooja Bhatt, with whom the film was also associated. It was reported that family disputes over the relationship affected the production, and Pooja Bhatt left, leading to the project being stopped. These claims are based on media reports and have not been officially confirmed by the Khan family.
The unfinished project has resurfaced in public discourse as anticipation continues to build around Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. The upcoming adaptation stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and is one of the most ambitious Indian films, and is being compared to earlier attempts that never got released.
Bollywood has made numerous attempts to remake the ancient Indian epic for the big screen in the past decade, and many of the projects have been announced, but the plans are then abandoned for various reasons. Industry observers point to these projects that were not made at all because of both the time and money and logistical challenges of bringing the Ramayana to cinema halls.
Salman Khan’s Ramayana has been reported to never come true, but movie lovers remain fascinated as one of Bollywood’s biggest "what if" projects. With Ranbir Kapoor now leading a new version as director of this work, we have revived interest in the earlier and unfinished adaptation and can see the story that was once in the making of a movie as a bit of a Bollywood history of almost reality.
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