Shah Rukh and Salman in one frame; The story behind the biggest casting coup, ‘Karan Arjun’

The theme of reincarnation has been Bollywood’s favourite for a long time now, but there came a movie in the 90s, on the same, which created records and achieved the status of a cult. No points for guessing, it was filmmaker Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Karan Arjun’. Indeed, this film is still remembered for various reasons, primarily for the seemingly impossible feat of casting two superstars of Indian cinema, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, in the lead roles. This was the first film where both these superstars of 90s shared the screen space and played reel brothers. But, not many are aware of the troubles that director Rakesh Roshan faced in achieving this feat. Shah Rukh Khan almost opted out of this film whereas Salman Khan was never the first choice for the role he eventually played. Yes! You heard that right.

Recently, we stumbled upon the biography of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan titled ‘To Dad With Love’ which is written by his daughter Sunaina Roshan. In this biography, it has been written that before the filmmaker could ‘Karan Arjun’ on floors, he once again encountered his usual problem of fixing the right actors for the lead roles. Sunaina Roshan has stated in the biography that, “Initially, he (Rakesh Roshan) had signed Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan but both actors wanted to switch roles and go against their respective images- SRK wanted to do all the action, Ajay wanted to romance! Dad then decided on Salman Khan and Aamir. He got Salman’s dates but Aamir couldn’t give him dates for the next six months.” (Also Read: From ‘Khudgarz’ to ‘Kaabil’, Rakesh Roshan’s revelation behind his lucky ‘K’ factor)

“Meanwhile, SRK returned to the film and agreed to do the romantic role. So Dad went to Aamir and told him that he had got Salman’s dates and would like to start shooting without any further delay. Aamir accepted the explanation and opted out of the film. Finally, Dad got the best that any filmmaker could have hoped for- Shah Rukh and Salman to play ‘Karan Arjun’. The film became a blockbuster and went on to acquire cult film status,” mentioned Sunaina Roshan in the biography.

Indeed, Shah Rukh Khan’s observation was astute when he stated that Rakesh Roshan makes, “The most complex films in the simplest way.” And we do agree with this, after having a look at his films, especially ‘Karan Arjun’.

Well, we can say that it happened for good, for we cannot imagine anyone but Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan showcasing the strong bond of brotherhood on big screen, as Karan and Arjun.

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.