Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan lost interest in Karan Arjun mid-shoot; pestered Rakesh Roshan: ‘I touched his feet’

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Appearing in the documentary, Shah Rukh Khan himself acknowledged their behaviour, admitting, “Yes, we (Shah Rukh and Salman) troubled him a lot; because both of us were very naughty, troublemakers.” He also recalled how Rakesh’s wife Pinkie Roshan reprimanded him several times. “Pinkie ji scolded me a lot. ‘You are troubling Guddu (Rakesh) a lot. I didn’t expect it from you.’ Because, between Salman and me, I was slightly better behaved; at least on the face of it. I was like, ‘I didn’t do anything. It’s all his (Salman) doing.’ We were like two young kids, really troubling a father figure, to be honest.”

Rakesh Roshan added that whenever he proposed something, Shah Rukh and Salman would suggest other ideas. “And I’d tell them, ‘No, this is what I want.’ And they’d get annoyed.” Despite these challenges, Rakesh’s persistence paid off and Karan Arjun went on to become one of the biggest hits of all time, surprising all, particularly Shah Rukh and Salman who had little faith in the film by then.

Watch Rakesh Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan’s Karan Arjun trailer here:

Shah Rukh recalled the audience’s enthusiastic response: “[They were] clapping, whistling and shouting. I was like, ‘What’s going on? What do people like about it?’ Especially the shot where the babies held hands and looked at each other — the screaming started from that point onwards and throughout the film, everybody was screaming and shouting. I remember I went out and I think I touched Rakesh ji’s feet saying, ‘I am sorry, I didn’t understand the film.’ So, for me, I did everything that I was against in my head as an actor. This was a learning experience: sometimes, I don’t have to believe in the character I am playing. I just have to make the audience believe in the character. I am glad I was forced into it by Rakesh ji.”

In a recent interview with SCREEN ahead of Karan Arjun’s re-release, Rakesh Roshan revealed that Shah Rukh Khan had initially backed out of the film and was replaced by Aamir Khan. He also mentioned that after Ajay Devgn left the project, Salman Khan was brought in and production resumed once Shah Rukh returned. Karan Arjun also marked the first time Rakesh’s son Hrithik Roshan worked as an assistant director on a film.