Breaking into Bollywood has never been easy, and many actors have often spoken about losing roles to star kids with powerful connections. But one of the star kids had the opposite experience. Soha Ali Khan, despite coming from a film family, once left her corporate job to pursue her debut film, only to be replaced before she could even begin shooting, after Shah Rukh Khan came on board as the lead.

Soha Ali Khan left her job for debut film

Soha recalled how she was replaced by Rani Mukerji in her first film and told Mashable India, “It was my first film. I quit Citibank. I had to pay ₹17,000 as my rent. I was earning a good salary. And my plan was to leave for London. I was thinking that I would get a work permit there, and I would eventually settle there. Then Amol Palekar came to me, and he spoke to me about the script. I had been offered some films because of my brother (Saif Ali Khan) and my mother (Sharmila Tagore).”

She revealed that she had an interest in acting and getting that first pay cheque, but she underestimated what it took to become a film actor. She admitted that she didn’t understand the skill set needed to act in films at that time. She further shared that Amol Palekar was a “credible and renowned filmmaker” and as she liked the subject she was presented, she immediately agreed to the project. However, Amol asked Soha to quit her job so that she could give a couple of months to the film.

The actor recalled that Amol was planning to launch a male actor in the film with her, and they had both started reading the script. However, she hadn’t signed any contract. Despite this, Soha revealed that she quit her job because she was unaware that until you have been signed or started shooting for the film, it’s not 100 per cent certain that you would be in it.

Soha Ali Khan was fired from Paheli

She recalled being fired from the film and said, “Amol ji called me and said, ‘Shah Rukh Khan is playing the role. I said, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ He said, ‘No, you don’t understand. That means you are not playing this role. Somebody else will be playing this.’ I was like, ‘Ouch’. Then I was like, ‘What do I do now? How do I pay my rent?” Eventually, her role was played by Rani Mukerji. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews and was a moderate success at the box office.

Soha then went on to sign a Bengali film, Iti Srikanta, directed by Anjan Das and featuring Adil Hussain and Reema Sen. The film released in 2004, even before Paheli (2005). Soha eventually made her Bollywood debut alongside Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia and Tulip Joshi in Dil Maange More!!!. However, the film was a box-office failure. Soha gained recognition with her role in Rang De Basanti. Some of her other memorable films include Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster and Ghayal: Once Again among others. She was most recently seen in the movie Chhorii 2. Helmed by Vishal Furia, the horror film received mixed reviews and is available to watch on Prime Video.