When Amitabh Bachchan stood by Aishwarya Rai’s decision to turn down THIS film after her pregnancy

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been one of Bollywood’s most admired stars, but even she hasn’t been spared from controversy. Back in 2011, the actress made headlines when she walked out of Madhur Bhandarkar’s film ‘Heroine’ due to her pregnancy.
Aishwarya’s exit from the film
Did you know that before Kareena Kapoor came on board for her career-defining role, Ash was the original choice for the lead role in ‘Heroine’, Bhandarkar’s dark and gritty take on the world of Bollywood stardom? However, Ash had to quit the film after learning she was pregnant, a decision that didn’t go down too well with the makers.
Rumours swirled that the ‘Guru’ actress had hidden her pregnancy during the early shoot. Reports suggested this angered the director, who believed it put his dream project at risk. The situation quickly took a rather dramatic turn when the director went public with his shock over the actress' announcement.

Madhur Bhandarkar's side of the story
In a blog post, Madhur explained his side of the story. He revealed how deeply involved he was in developing ‘Heroine’ for more than a year and a half. The film required the lead actress to take on physically and emotionally intense scenes, as well as travel to various locations. He admitted that he was “shocked and depressed” when he found out about Aishwarya’s pregnancy, especially with 65 days of shooting still left. He wrote that Aishwarya would have been “6-7 months pregnant” while filming, which would “drastically change the character and the story”.
His concern, he said, was about her safety and whether the demanding role would affect her health. Though he never personally attacked her, his disappointment was clear, and the film’s future seemed uncertain.

Amitabh Bachchan steps in to defend his daughter-in-law
While Aishwarya chose to stay silent, it was her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, who stood up for her. In an interview with DNA, the superstar didn’t mince his words. He said, “Everybody knew that Aishwarya was married when she signed the film. So you mean to say that actors can’t get married or have children? I don’t think this can be a part of any contract that you cannot get married or have children if you’re working on a project.”
After Aishwarya’s exit, Kareena was brought in to take over the lead role. Though the film received mixed reviews, Kareena’s performance was widely praised.