Do you know there was a time when Aamir Khan was approached for the films: Darr and Bajrangi Bhaijaan? But he passed on the roles, which turned out to be a gain for Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Also read: ‘Don’t know if I should say this…’: Aamir Khan recalls Karisma Kapoor-Raveena Tandon’s war during Andaz Apna Apna
The actor reflected on the past opportunities which he passed on at the trailer launch of Aamir Khan: Cinema Ka Jadugar in Mumbai on Sunday. The festival will begin on March 14.
Aamir looks back
At the event, he was asked about the films he regrets giving up. To which, Aamir said, “Darr jo mein kar raha tha, phir meine nahi kiya… That was for other reasons, not for creative reasons. And even now I feel woh sahi hi hua because jo sur Yash ji pakad rahe the, woh Shah Rukh was suiting better. In retrospect, agar woh main karta toh kuch aur hi ho jata because I was looking at it differently. I don’t really regret that because woh film achi bani aur kamyab bhi hui…… Main uss sur mein nahi kelne wala tha. (Darr was one film. I was working on it, but didn’t end up doing it… That was for other reasons, not creative ones. And even now, I feel that what happened was for the best because I think the tone that Yash ji was aiming for, Shah Rukh would have suited it better. In retrospect, if I had done it, things would have turned out differently because I was looking at it from a different perspective. I don’t really regret it because I think the film turned out well and was successful… I wasn’t meant to be a part of that tone. Shah Rukh was suiting better)”.
The actor then wondered what other film he passed on when someone from the audience reminded him of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Aamir added, “Oh yes, I heard the script and told the writer that it would suit Salman Khan better. That was my reaction… I liked the script of the film, but asked them to take it to Salman Khan… But the writer didn’t go to Salman, he went to Kabir Khan… And then Kabir went to Salman. But that was my reaction. Even for Munna Bhai, Raju wanted me to play a part… The day he came to me with the script, he said that things have changed and the film is more of a sequel to the first part”.
About Darr and Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Yash Chopra’s 1993 romantic thriller Darr turned out to be a breakthrough film for Shah Rukh, who made his Bollywood debut just a year before that, with Deewana. While he was a romantic hero in Deewana, he played an anti-hero and unrequited lover, in Darr. He was seen obsessed with Juhi Chawla‘s Kiran throughout the film, and had many run-ins with her husband, played by Sunny Deol. After the film’s release, Shah Rukh got a lot of praise for his dark portrayal.
Meanwhile, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, directed by Kabir Khan, released in 2015. It was a massive success. Apart from Salman, it also starred Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Harshaali Malhotra. The film focused on the efforts of a simple man from Delhi, who undertakes the seemingly-impossible task of getting a lost Pakistani girl back home.
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