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Did you know Shah Rukh Khan’s wife Gauri's mom suggested casting Pakistani actress Mahira opposite superstar in Raees? Director Rahul Dholakia spills beans
Raees director Rahul Dholakia recalled how he discovered Mahira Khan and eventually ended up casting her opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the actioner. He credited Gauri Khan's mom for it.
Shah Rukh Khan was seen opposite Pakistani actress Mahira Khan in the 2017 action movie Raees. To date, it remains the actress' only Hindi film, which won her accolades and made her a household name in India. While one might think King Khan or director Rahul Dholakia would have been behind casting the international sensation. But that wasn’t the case. It was SRK's wife Gauri Khan’s mother who suggested casting Mahira opposite the actor in the actioner.
During an interaction with Mashable India, the director of Raees, Rahul Dholakia, recalled how he discovered Mahira Khan for Raees. The filmmaker told the publication that both Gauri Khan’s mom and his mother had seen the Pakistani actress star in a TV show. Hence, they both told him, ‘Yeh ladki achi hai’. Soon after, Rahul called their casting head Honey Trehan and inquired if he knew Mahira. Luckily, at that point, Mahira was in India for some promotional work. The next day, the director auditioned her at the Excel office, and soon after, he declared, “I have found my Aasiya.”
In the same chat, Rahul Dholakia also stated that they wanted an actor with good Hindi speaking skills with an Urdu twang to play a 1980s Muslim girl. SRK also wanted to romance a female star who was at least 30 years of age. In Bollywood, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Anushka Sharam fit the bill. “But now, the problem with them was that they are too expensive and the role is too small for them,” he stated, adding that they also included Sonam Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in the new list of shortlisted stars. But soon they realized this wasn’t working. “They were not really fitting the role. Shah Rukh Khan cannot romance an Alia Bhatt,” he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up to kick-start the shoot for his upcoming Sujoy Ghosh movie, King with his daughter Suhana Khan. Pinkvilla also exclusively learned that he is in talks with Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan for an adventure film. “Shah Rukh Khan has met almost every filmmaker in the last few months and heard the ideas they had for him. But nothing really excited him. Now, Shah Rukh Khan is in talks with the Stree 2 team of Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan,” revealed a source close to the development.
The source further added, “Amar and Dinoo have a big-ticket adventure film for SRK and are exploring the possibilities of a collaboration. It would not be a part of the Stree Universe but mark the beginning of a new one. Two to three meetings have taken place, and Shah Rukh Khan is yet to take a decision on the same.”
For more such scoops about the Indian film industry and its stars, stay tuned to Pinkvilla!
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Shah Rukh Khan in talks with Amar Kaushik for a film; SRK also locks King and Pathaan 2
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