With Tabu stepping into Rekha's shoes for 'Fitoor', we point out a few actors who had to be replaced after having shot for the film

Casting can be sometimes be a tricky thing, especially as it is more about signing the right face than a popular one. Last-minute bailouts can lead to chaos on a film set and it gets even worse when a film has already started rolling. There have been quite a few instances of Bollywood stars abruptly walking out of a project, forcing the director to find an apt replacement.


Tabu and Rekha

Recently, Rekha opted out of Abhishek Kapoor's 'Fitoor' post a long schedule in Kashmir. The desi adaptation of Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' had the veteran actress essaying the role of a begum (Miss Havisham's character from the novel). She had almost completed shooting for her part, but expressed to the makers her displeasure over the way the film was shaping up - contrary to rumours that she did not like her look in the film. She was rumoured to be insisting on a re-shoot, but eventually decided to opt out of the project.

Earlier too, there were reports about Rekha walking out of Gulzar's 1982 film 'Namkeen' as she did not approve of a journalist's presence on the set. She was replaced by Sharmila Tagore.

hitlist draws up a list of actors who left a project midway, be it by choice or otherwise, and the ones who replaced them...

Walk out: Rinke Khanna
Walk in: Manisha Koirala

Film: 'Company' (2002)
Lowdown: Ram Gopal Varma had signed Rinke for the film starring Ajay Devgn. However, the filmmaker apparently felt the actress looked too young for the role. Therefore, after a few days of shoot, he replaced her with Manisha Koirala.

Walk out: Smriti Irani
Walk in: Supriya Pathak

Film: 'All Is Well' (upcoming)
Lowdown: Umesh Shukla was kept waiting for nearly six months to complete the shoot of his film which features Abhishek Bachchan and Asin as the lead pair and Smriti Irani as his mother. But Smriti was unable to devote time to the film when she became HRD minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet. Finally, Supriya Pathak filled in for her.

Walk out: Kareena Kapoor Khan
Walk in: Ameesha Patel

Film: 'Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai' (2000)
Lowdown: Hrithik Roshan's debut film went on the floors with Kareena Kapoor playing the lead actress, Sonia Saxena. However, Bebo left the film apparently after some disagreement over a dance sequence with director Rakesh Roshan. There was also buzz suggesting that Kareena's ouster had more to do with her demand for a higher fee.

Walk out: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Walk in: Kareena Kapoor Khan

Film: 'Heroine' (2012)
Lowdown: The Madhur Bhandarkar movie had Ash as the protagonist, but after shooting for barely 10 days, her pregnancy was announced to the world. Initially, the director was said to have locked himself up home worried about the losses - he had already spent R4 crore on the film. Ash was apparently furious when Madhur went public saying she kept him in the dark about her pregnancy and decided to work on the film. After a bitter end to their collaboration, he decided to approach his original choice Kareena Kapoor and reshoot the film.

Earlier, Rani Mukerji had to step into 'Chalte Chalte' (2003) opposite Shah Rukh Khan when Ash was forced to opt out of it, due to her former beau Salman Khan's alleged interference on the sets.