Vanvaas actress Khushbu Sundar reveals being Raj Kapoor’s first choice for Ram Teri Ganga Maili; recalls, “I wasn’t even 14 years old at the time”

Politician and actor Khushbu Sundar revealed that she was the first choice to play the iconic character of Ganga in Raj Kapoor’s classic film Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). She also stated the reason why she was replaced by Mandakini even after doing a photo shoot for the film.

Khushbu Sundarrecalls being replaced by Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili

She was just 14 years old when she was offered to portray such a mature role. Speaking to Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Khushbu revealed, “Raj Kapoor wanted to launch me in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. We also did a photo shoot for the same. After looking at those photos, Raj Kapoor had said, ‘She is my Ganga.’ The plan was to finish the Gangotri schedule first, but it was snowing at the time, so they decided to shoot in Kolkata first, where they would show the brothel scene. In this segment of the film, the character is already a mother to a baby.”

She further added, “But I was not even fully 14 years old at the time, so Raj ji said, ‘She is herself a kid, and a baby in her hand won’t look good.’ He couldn’t push the film either, and because of this, I couldn’t star in the film.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Z O B H A (@zob.ha)

Khushbu’s film career & work front

Ram Teri Ganga Maili was released in August 1985. It was the last film directed by Raj Kapoor before his death a few years later. Khushbu made her debut as a lead star in Meri Jung in the same year. She made her Telugu film debut in Kaliyuga Pandavulu in the following year.

After a 13-year hiatus, she returned to films in 2021 with Rajinikanth starrer Annaatthe. She was last seen in Nana Patekar and Utkarsh Sharma starrer Vanvaas, her first Hindi film in over 30 years.

Also Read: Nana Patekar turns singer for Utkarsh Sharma starrer Vanvaas