Sanjay Dutt’s Iconic Vaastav Became The Film That Led To Shah Rukh Khan’s Exit From Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS & Here’s How Baba Turned Irreplaceable!
Rajkumar Hirani always wanted Shah Rukh Khan, but the 'waiting time' of 2 years pinched him, and Sanjay Dutt's iconic Vaastav performance changed it all; here's what happened!
Sanjay Dutt’s Vaastav Became The Film That Led To Shah Rukh Khan’s Exit From Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS & Here’s How Baba… ( Photo Credit – Facebook; Instagram )
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Dunki is all set to release on 22nd December 2023, and by now, we all aware of how much special is the combo of Shah Rukh Khan & Rajkumar Hirani. Especially when the duo multiple times in the past have tried to work with each other but couldn’t due to reasons known best to them. Remember when Sanjay Dutt replaced SRK?
While writing the character of a ‘bhai’ who wants to be a doctor for his family, Rajkumar Hirani, for some strange reason, always envisioned Shah Rukh Khan. Yes, SRK can do anything, but this was in the early 2000s when the superstar had yet to do films like Swades, My Mame Is Khan, and Chak De! India to solidify that fact.
Also, Shah had this image of a hero you’d fall in love with, someone whose Black kurta you’d want to get entangled in your bracelet. Whereas Rajkumar Hirani wanted this ‘tapori’ doctor, and if you don’t know who a tapori is, imagine Aamir Khan‘s Munna from Rangeela.
So, to envision Shah Rukh Khan as a tapori goon wanting to become a doctor, you really need the eyes of Rajkumar Hirani. With the help of Vidhu Vinod Chopra, he was able to narrate the story to SRK, and we all know what happened after that.
Okay, in a sentence (for those who are still unaware), King Khan loved the script upon reading it, but unfortunately, due to a packed schedule, he asked Hirani to wait for almost two years, who didn’t want to wait for so long.
How Vaastav’s Raghu Helped Munnabhai’s Munna!
When Raju returned to the film’s producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, he suggested him to proceed with Sanjay Dutt. Like, he was just the right option, but it took some time for Hirani to get convinced, and one Dutt film that cemented his decision to move on from Shah Rukh Khan was Vaastav.
Sanju Baba’s unabashed portrayal of Raghu helped him land Munna, and that’s the film that helped the world to see the other side of the actor, Sanjay Dutt. It was expected of him to nail the ‘Bhaigiri’ trait of his character, but the way he handled the emotional side of Munna, he broke the stereotype, surprising each and every one.
No Munnabhai Without Sanjay Dutt!
The way Sanjay Dutt portrayed Munna in Munnabhai, you won’t be able to see any actor in that character today, not even someone as talented as Shah Rukh Khan. That’s Rajkumar Hirani’s magic, which the audience is expecting the same from Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki as well.
Shah Rukh Khan, jumping straight into Hirani’s world after coming from two very masala hero-giri projects in Pathaan & Jawan, would be really interesting to see how he lets the story take over being the director’s actor he has always been.
