As Rani Mukerji celebrates her birthday today, here is plucking out Bollywood trivia about what made Aishwarya Rai say no to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai role that established Rani in Bollywood.

IF you are a Bollywood buff, chances are you clearly remember Rani Mukerji’s Tina Malhotra introduction in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The petite actor walked into the frame of Karan Johar’s directorial debut and our hearts with that scene.

However, not many know that Rani – who celebrates her birthday today – was not the first choice for the role. Twinkle Khanna, Karisma Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai had been offered that role before her. Aishwarya, in fact, had spoken about what made her refuse the role a year after KKHH became such a huge hit. Aishwarya was new to the industry at that time and was not sure of the 1998 film will be the perfect fit.

“I’m in a catch-22 situation, really. Though I’m a newcomer, I’m compared with all the senior actresses,” Aishwarya had said a year after KKHH came out, “If I’d done the film, it would have been tittered that, ‘Look, Aishwarya Rai is back to doing what she did in her modelling days—leaving her hair straight, wearing minis, and pouting glamorously into the camera.’ Ultimately, the hero goes back to the more real person. I know if I’d done Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I would have been lynched.”

She had also spoken about being stereotyped and her need to move ahead. “Look, I can’t fight the looks I’ve been born with. If I’m blessed with good looks, so be it. But for Pete’s sake, don’t knock my hard work, my professionalism. I’m only three-films-old. I haven’t given any of my directors any reason to complain.”