Pradeep Rawat chose Aamir Khan over ‘hot-headed’ Salman for Ghajini: ‘First Rs 100 cr film’

Ghajini has a SS Rajamouli connection

Recounting the story in an interview with Siddharth Kannan two years ago, Rawat said, “When I became successful in Telugu cinema, I starred in Rajamouli’s second film, Sye. It was a very successful film and a huge opportunity for me. The film was based on rugby, which is one of the toughest games in the world, perhaps second only to boxing. It is a young person’s game. When they called me for an audition, they were looking for someone to play a student.”

He added, “Rajamouli approached me after my stint in Lagaan. They hired an agency to look for Deva from Lagaan because Google and the internet were not as accessible back then. At the time, people did not give much importance to South Indian films.”

When the agency finally reached out to him, Rawat said he had no idea who Rajamouli was. “I said, ‘I don’t know any SS Rajamouli.’ They told me that he was a good director. I eventually agreed, but on one condition: they had to book my return tickets in advance. I made that condition because people often called us and then forgot about our existence altogether. They booked my round-trip tickets.”

Rawat said Rajamouli took nearly 15–20 days to get back to him after the audition because the script originally required a younger, college-going actor. “I did not fit that mould. So, just to accommodate me in the film, Rajamouli changed the script and created the character of a gunda, which I played.”

The role proved to be a turning point in Rawat’s career. “After Sye, I never had to look back. I was flooded with offers from regional film industries, including Kannada, Tamil and Odia cinema, but not Hindi. The film was a massive hit. Initially, the posters featured Nithiin and Genelia. A week later, posters featuring only me were released,” he recalled.

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When Rawat was approached as a back up plan for Ghajini

Rawat then spoke about how he was approached for Ghajini. He revealed that he was initially brought in as a backup, as Prakash Raj was originally supposed to play the antagonist.

Recalling his experience while testing for the role in the original Tamil Ghajini, starring Suriya, Rawat said, “While I was getting my makeup done, I noticed someone looking at me from behind and then running away. I told my assistant, ‘Who is this person? If he wants to speak to me, ask him to come in. What is this peeking and running away?’”

When his assistant finally approached the man, Rawat said he laughed and introduced himself as the director. “He said, ‘I am the director. I just wanted to observe the actor.’ At the time, Murugadoss did not have a distinct public identity, and he did not know Hindi or English.”

Rawat played a double role in the Tamil version of Ghajini. He also pointed out that the Hindi adaptation differed significantly from the original film. “What people saw in the Hindi Ghajini was a different story from the Tamil version. Aamir Khan changed the script according to his sensibilities. Prakash Raj was supposed to play the villain, but when he did not show up, I was called in as the backup.”

When Murugadoss requested Rawat to help him remake it in Hindi

The film went on to become a major hit in Tamil and Telugu. Following its success, Rawat said Murugadoss was eager to remake it in Hindi and repeatedly asked him to help approach leading Hindi actors.

“Murugadoss kept requesting me to help him make the film in Hindi. He would say, ‘You know Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. Please talk to them.’ I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ When the film became such a huge success, I thought, why not help him? My selfish motive was that I would get to play the role in Hindi as well,” Rawat recalled.

When Rawat chose Aamir Khan’s calmness over Salman Khan’s short-temper

According to Rawat, Murugadoss was initially keen on casting Salman Khan. However, Rawat believed Aamir Khan would be a better fit. “Murugadoss was very keen on casting Salman Khan. But in my heart, I thought Salman was short-tempered, while the director did not even know the language. I felt Aamir Khan would be the right choice because he is calm and always behaves well with people. I have never heard of Aamir Khan misbehaving with anyone,” he said.

Rawat eventually approached Aamir but did not immediately reveal that they were planning a Hindi remake. “I simply told him that I had made a film in Tamil and wanted him to watch it. Aamir is well behaved, but he is also extremely shrewd,” Rawat said.

He continued, “Every time I met him, I would ask only one thing: ‘Have you watched the film?’ If Ghajini was made in Hindi, it was because I persuaded him to watch it. He could not say no to me. After six months, he finally watched the film. After watching the first half, he said, ‘I am doing this film.’”

Rawat also recalled Aamir’s intense physical transformation for the role. “He built a massive body for the film. He stopped drinking water, cut down on salt and became dehydrated to maintain that physique. During the shoot, he suffered an injury, and production was halted for two months. When we resumed filming the same scene, he felt pain in the same place again and had to be taken to the hospital on a stretcher. The shoot was halted for another four months. But when the film finally released, it ran at the box office like never before.”

Rawat proudly said, “Ghajini was the first official Indian film to cross the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office. Many such films were never remade.”

Pradeep Rawat died at the age of 74 after battling cancer.