Addinath Kothare reveals he auditioned for Bajirao Mastani and didn’t get the part: I was heartbroken

Actor Addinath Kothare in an exclusive conversation reveals that he not only auditioned for Bajirao Mastani but was also shortlisted for an integral part that was later on played by Vaibhav Tatwawadi.

Before making his Bollywood debut in Kabir Khan’s 2021 venture, ’83, actor Addinath Kothare had a string of opportunities that didn’t work out. In a recent chat, Kothare mentions Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani (2015) as one of the opportunities that didn’t work in his favour.

Addinath Kothare reveals he auditioned for Bajirao Mastani and didn’t get the part: I was heartbroken

The actor auditioned for the film but lost the part to actor Vaibhav Tatwawadi, a fellow contemporary from the Marathi film industry and a “dear friend,” who eventually played Chimaji Appa in the Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone-starrer. “Vaibhav and I were the final two actors for the part. I’ve been a massive Bhansali fan, so getting to work with him was something that I was genuinely looking forward to. However, Vaibhav got that part and I was heartbroken (laughs). It was indeed a bummer. It is the only film from my entire career that I feel I wish I had got,” Kothare shares.

Interestingly, Bajirao Mastani had Singh in the lead, which Kothare couldn’t do, but he got to make his Bollywood debut alongside Singh anyway, courtesy of ’83. “That was sheer coincidence. I never really thought about this. I guess I was supposed to make my Hindi debut with him. It was written [in the stars],” he quips.

While the 2015 film didn’t work out for Kothare, it took almost seven years for Bhansali to not only take notice of the actor but also laud him for his performance in the costume drama Chandramukhi. “I received a message from him and he really loved the film. He said this film has put the Marathi film industry on a certain pedestal. Hopefully, I’ll soon get to work with him,” Kothare ends.