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Thirty years after its initial release, director Rakesh Roshan is bringing back the 1995 film Karan Arjun to the big screen. Ahead of the film’s worldwide re-release, Rakesh Roshan termed it a ‘social experiment’ to determine whether the audience has changed. With Karan Arjun’s re-release, Rakesh says he wants to see if the story stirs the same emotions. In this exclusive interview with SCREEN, the director and producer also reveals how the film was a first in many ways, and shared that Shah Rukh Khan had initially backed out from the film and was replaced by Aamir Khan. After Ajay Devgn left the film, Salman Khan was brought on board. This was also the first film where Hrithik Roshan was an assistant director.
In an exclusive conversation, Rakesh Roshan shared that no one other than him and his dialogue writer believed in the project. “When I announced the film, two of my distributors backed out because the film was starring two romantic heroes. They had not done action before this. Nobody believed in this film when I was making it, they all believed in me, and when it was released it was the audience who lapped it up,” he said.
He also shared that Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan quit Karan Arjun. Rakesh Roshan shared, “While Ajay can answer as to why he backed out from Karan Arjun, Shah Rukh had left the film as he wanted to play the role that Ajay was playing and vice versa. They wanted to change their respective images. But I said I was not making this film to change their images, it’s a story that required them to be what they were.”
He added, “They both left the film, then I took Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in it. Later, SRK came back and said he wanted to work with me because I was the first person to sign him as an actor in King Uncle. He said, ’I couldn’t sleep at night, and even though I don’t believe in the story, I will still work with you. I have full conviction.’ Then I told Aamir that I had SRK’s dates from the next month so let me start with him, and Aamir agreed.”
With Salman and Shah Rukh Khan being finalized, Rakesh Roshan had inquired about Kajol from SRK, and the actor called Kajol very comfortable and talented, the director recalled. He said, “Shah Rukh had recommended Kajol, I had asked how was it to work with her, and SRK praised her a lot after which I signed her.”
Talking about the camaraderie they all shared on the set, especially Shah Rukh and Salman, Rakesh Roshan added, “30 years back they had just come and were quite new, those days we didn’t have vanity vans, there was a common hairdresser and makeup artiste. We all would sit together, and have lunch together. We would hang out during the outdoor schedule and work as a family.”
When asked if it would be possible to cast superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in a full-fledged film today, Rakesh affirmed that it can happen. He said, “It is possible if the script is very balanced for two heroes because I was an actor I knew how they feel. When I made Karan Arjun both the characters had equal weightage, so if there is a script like this the two actors would work together.”
Karan Arjun was earlier called Kainaat, but later it was named differently as they all felt that the initial title wouldn’t relate to the audience. With so many memories and a great journey, the film is once again releasing in theaters on 22nd November.
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