Shah Rukh Khan Once Managed To Convince Rakesh Roshan To Cast Him Instead Of Salman Khan, Despite Being A Newcomer: “Rakesh’s Jaw Dropped When…”

According to the report, Shah Rukh Khan got cast in the movie and signed a three-film deal with Rakesh Roshan's company Filmkraft.

By
Esita Mallik
- March 23, 2025 | 9:32 PM IST
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Shah Rukh Khan and Rakesh Roshan are two of the most influential personalities in the film industry. They have collaborated in movies including King Uncle, Karan Arjun, and Koyla. SRK started his Bollywood journey in 1992, and during his initial years, the actor managed to convince Roshan to drop Salman Khan from one of his movies and him instead. The actor-turned-filmmaker and father of Hrithik Roshan was stunned by the Pathaan star’s slick talk. Keep scrolling for the deets.

SRK is referred to in the media as the Baadshah of Bollywood, King of Romance, and King Khan. He made his Bollywood debut with Deewana in 1992. He gained recognition for his negative roles in Baazigar and Darr. SRK then starred in numerous romantic movies that were box office hits, thus earning the title of ‘King of Romance.’

Shah Rukh Khan and Rakesh Roshan collaborated for the first time in King Uncle, which featured Jackie Shroff, Shah Rukh, Anu Aggarwal, Nagma, Paresh Rawal, Sushmita Mukherjee, Pooja Ruparel, and Deven Verma in crucial roles. But did you know that Roshan wanted to cast Salman Khan in the role of Jackie’s younger brother in the movie and not SRK? Rakesh’s friend and producer, Vivek Vaswani, shared the interesting story in an interview with Film Companion.

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According to Vaswani, SRK got cast in King Uncle and signed a three-film deal with Rakesh Roshan’s company Filmkraft despite not appearing in even one film until then. Vivek revealed that he suggested Shah Rukh Khan’s name to Rakesh. When the Pathaan star met Roshan, the latter asked him why he should cast him.

Vivek recalled, “He explained how Rakesh had already sold King Uncle. So casting Salman and paying him more money was not going to raise the price of the film, and casting Shah Rukh at lower money was not going to reduce the price of the film.” For the record, Vaswani imbued knowledge about the film industry in SRK and wrapped it with his charm to captivate the filmmaker.

Vaswani added, “Rakesh ji’s mouth was open because this man is talking like a professional of the industry, like a veteran, and he is one, as far as he is concerned, one newcomer from TV.” As Salman Khan was already a star in the industry, SRK’s logic struck a chord with Roshan, and eventually, he got the part.

On the professional front, Shah Rukh Khan was last seen in Dunki in 2023.

For more such Bollywood Features, stay tuned to Koimoi!

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