‘I didn’t hold Shah Rukh Khan at gunpoint’: Producer who gave SRK a break with Deewana reveals how he summoned young star to set

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“In fact, Shah Rukh Khan said that he couldn’t do Deewana at all because he was committed to five other films. But when he heard the script, he agreed to do the film immediately. We gave him Rs 11,000 as signing bonus. But then, it was destiny that Deewana released first,” said Guddu.

While Guddu’s story might make it seem like everything fell into place seamlessly, it was a completely different story back in the day, with speculation that Armaan Kohli was removed from the project, and another incident about Shah Rukh Khan being forced to come to shoot at gunpoint. While Guddu simply brushed off the rumours that they shot scenes with Armaan, he made sure to clarify the gun incident. “See, Shah Rukh Khan had given us certain dates, and we had sets ready at Natraj Studio for a song to be picturised on Rishi Kapoor, Divya Bharati, Sushma Seth, and SRK. Then, suddenly I was informed that Shah Rukh wasn’t coming to shoot for Deewana. I didn’t know why he gave the same dates to two different films.”

Explaining how he immediately went to Goa to meet Shah Rukh Khan, who was filming Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa there, Guddu said, “I went to his room, and woke him up. The first thing he asked me was, ‘Guddu, when should I come for the shoot?’ When I told him that the sets would be ready the next day, he promised to fly to Mumbai first thing in the morning after finishing the night shoot in Goa. All these talks about gunpoint was just false. Nothing like that happened.”

Guddu said that Shah Rukh Khan spent sleepless days and nights to honour his commitment to both films. “He would shoot in Goa in the night, take the first flight to Mumbai the next day. He would then finish the shoot in the city, and take the evening flight to Goa, and shoot the night portions. In fact, when you look at Deewana, there are a few scenes where the tiredness in Shah Rukh Khan‘s eyes is very evident,” said Guddu, who reiterated Shah Rukh Khan’s commitment to Deewana by revealing that the actor completed the dubbing for his portions to ensure there are no delays in the release of the film.

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Guddu, who hasn’t directed a film in over a decade, is known for helming films like Ziddi, Bichhoo, Big Brother, and the Punjabi film The Lion of Punjab, which marked the debut of Diljit Dosanjh as a lead actor.