25 years of Abhishek Bachchan: Big hits turned down by Paa actor that could have changed his career

Abhishek Bachchan began his career with J. P. Dutta’s Refugee 25 years ago. In all these years of his career as an actor, there have been many highs and lows, and also many hits and misses. While an actor can always pick up a good director, a good script, and a banner to ensure that he delivers a hit, no one can guarantee a blockbuster success.

But at times, decisions to turn down or reject an offer can prove to be wrong because eventually it turns out to be a blockbuster movie. And like all actors with more than two decades of journey in Bollywood, there have been times when Abhishek Bachchan has turned down a movie which ultimately became a big hit.

Abhishek Bachchan turned down blockbusters

Lagaan is the biggest hit of Aamir Khan both as an actor and a producer. But it was first offered to Junior Bachchan. However, he turned it down and even later on clarified that when the movie came to him, he was too young to shoulder such a big movie. He also said that he knew Lagaan would be epic and was glad that Aamir Khan eventually led the film.

Abhishek Bachchan's first photo shoot for #Refugee @juniorbachchan #25YearsOfRefugee #25YearsOfAB @SrBachchan#25YearsOfAbhishekBachchan @BachchanJrFC pic.twitter.com/SY7DHn6BTQ

— Moses Sapir (@MosesSapir) June 29, 2025

Another movie that he rejected was Dil Chahta Hai. Both Abhishek Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar were childhood friends. Hence, when Farhan was trying to make a Bollywood debut as a director, he wanted his friend to play the lead role. But Abhishek turned it down for reasons unknown. Once again, it was Aamir Khan who accepted the role, and the flick turned out to be a big hit.

Karan Johar’s debut movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was also offered to Abhishek. While Shah Rukh Khan was already the male lead, the part played by Salman Khan was offered to the Guru actor, which he refused. Later on, the role went to Salman Khan, and the film turned out to be a blockbuster.

Rang De Basanti was another movie that was a blockbuster and was refused by Abhishek Bachchan.