To this day, Rang De Basanti remains to be one of the best Bollywood movies that depicts the connection that a younger generation has with India, and what it actually means to be a patriot in this day and age. 

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Without a doubt, it is one of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s best films, and will certainly go down in history as an Indian classic.

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Turns out, he was very close in casting Daniel Craig, in a key role for the film.

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We all have heard rumours that Tom Cruise was considered for Shah Rukh’s role in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Because none of the people associated with the film have ever spoken about it, it remains to be a rumour. Also, the keyword in that little factoid is “considered.”

In his autobiography titled ‘The Stranger In The Mirror,’ Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra revealed that Daniel had actually auditioned for Rang De Basanti, and had been cast as James McKinley, Sue's grandfather. 

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In the film, James McKinley is a colonel in British India who oversaw the execution of Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Ram Prasad Bismil, and was immensely in awe of their revolutionary spirit. 

It was an entry from James’ diary that inspired Sue to make the trip to India.

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The director revealed that after the audition, Craig was selected for the Character of James McKinley. 

However, around the same time, Daniel had auditioned for the role of James Bond, for Casino Royale, and had requested some time.

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Unfortunately, the time that Daniel needed for his final round of auditions was not something that Mehra could accommodate due to the film’s schedule. 

As a result, the team had to go ahead with the film, without Daniel. 

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Back in 2004-2005, when the film was being shot, Daniel Craig had established himself as an actor, but he wasn’t nearly as popular as he became with the release of Casino Royale in 2006. 

Prior to that the most notable films that he was a part of were only a handful. These included movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, & Shekhar Kapur Elizabeth. During this time, he was mainly working in television.

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