DYK Vidya Balan was not the first choice for Bhool Bhulaiyaa? On Tuesday Trivia

Vidya Balan was brilliant as Avni/Manjulika in the 2007 film Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Not many know but the actress was not the original choice for the role in the Priyadarshan film.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has received a great response at the box office. The Anees Bazmee directorial, which released on May 20 in theatres, earned more than Rs 66 crore in four days of its release. The film is a sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), which starred Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Ameesha Patel and Shiney Ahuja. The original film directed by Priyadarshan paved the way for the success of the Kartik Aaryan-starrer. One of the most iconic characters from the first Bhool Bhalaiyaa was Manjulika (played by Vidya Balan). However, do you know Vidya was not the original choice to play the role of Manjulika or Avni?

Vidya Balan made Avni and Manjulika's characters immemorial with her acting chops. We still can't forget her dishevelled hair and smudged eye makeup as she danced to Mere Dholna. But, the Parineeta star was not the first choice for the role. Avni's role was initially offered to Aishwarya Rai, which was rejected by the former Miss World. The Taal actress wasn't too sure about playing a haunted character. After Aishwarya, the role went to Rani Mukerji, but even she did not show interest in the role.

Eventually, Bhool Bhulaiyaa went to Vidya Balan and now, it is difficult for us to imagine anyone else other than her in that role. Avni, in the film, was an archaeologist by profession. She suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and it led to her assuming that she is Manjulika.

Not just Vidya Balan but Ameesha Patel was also praised for her portrayal of Radha in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). Even the Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai actress was not the first one to be approached for the role. Katrina Kaif was the original choice to play Radha. However, she turned down the offer.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa released on October 12, 2007, in cinemas. The film starred Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja, Ameesha Patel, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Joshi and Rajpal Yadav. The horror comedy was one of the biggest hits of the year.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 features Kartik Aaryan, Tabu, Kiara Advani and Rajpal Yadav in important roles. The film hit cinemas on May 20, 2022. It revolves around Ruhan (Kartik), a fraudulent psychic who is brought in to deal with the return of Manjulika to the Thakur palace. However, he unintentionally adds to the problems.