As the 1995 Bollywood blockbuster 'Karan Arjun' gears up for a re-release on November 22, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has revealed surprising details about the film's original casting.
In an interview, Rakesh disclosed that Ajay Devgn was initially considered for the role alongside Shah Rukh Khan, not Salman Khan.
Rakesh shared that when he first conceptualized 'Karan Arjun', he approached Shah Rukh Khan, who had previously worked with him in the 1993 film 'King Uncle'. Interestingly, Rakesh Roshan was the first producer to pay Shah Rukh Khan, as his debut film 'Deewana' (1992) was still incomplete at the time.
Rakesh also cast Ajay Devgn, with whom he had a long-standing connection through Ajay's father, action choreographer Veeru Devgn.
Recalling the initial discussions, Rakesh said, “They both came to me – Shah Rukh and Ajay. They said, ‘Sir, we want to talk to you. We want to interchange our image. My (Shah Rukh's) image is romantic, his (Ajay's) image is of an action hero. I want to do action, and he'd do romantic.' I asked them how that would benefit the film. They got thinking. I said if it works in the film's favour, then only I'd do it no. 'If I do it, the film wouldn't work. I'm keeping in mind your image. I'd give him romance, and I'd also give you action to do. They both do action and romance. I'm making a wholesome film so you don't worry about that.' But they weren't convinced,” said Rakesh in Hindi.”
When the initial pairing didn’t work out, Rakesh approached Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, fresh off their success in the 1994 cult classic 'Andaz Apna Apna'. However, Shah Rukh later returned. "Then Shah Rukh came back to me. He said, ‘No no, let me do it. You gave me my break. I'm getting sleepless nights that I'm not doing the film.' So I told Aamir that now I have Shah Rukh's dates,” Rakesh revealed.
'Karan Arjun', produced by Filmkraft Productions, stars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the titular roles, alongside Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Raakhee, Amrish Puri, Johnny Lever, and Ranjit. The film remains a cult classic and a hallmark of Bollywood's reincarnation genre.
