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Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees director admits producers initially laughed at him for wanting to make movie with superstar; ‘When I sent script to Farhan Akhtar…’
Raees director Rahul Dholakia recently reminisced about the time when producers laughed his idea of creating the crime drama with the superstar. Read to know the full story here!
Rahul Dholakia's Raees provided audiences with the portrayal of Shah Rukh Khan they had long desired. The crime drama compellingly showcased SRK's brooding intensity, making it a standout performance. In a recent interview, Dholakia discussed how, despite the film being presented to various actors initially, he had always envisioned Khan in the lead role when he was passing by his home Mannat. He also shared how producers laughed off his idea to make Raees with SRK.
During a conversation with Mashable, Rahul revealed that after he sent the script to Farhan Akhtar, the project began to expand significantly.
Farhan showed interest in producing the film along with his partner Ritesh Sidhwani, who requested that Rahul provide a shortlist of five actors he envisioned for the lead role.
“Ritesh asked me to give him a list of five actors for the role of Raees. I gave him one… Shah Rukh Khan, and he burst out laughing. I told him that I was very serious about bringing him onboard. Once, he was onboard, it was so wonderful. It was a life-changing experience working with him,” Rahul said.
Rahul reminisced about a time he was driving to a hotel near Mannat for coffee when Sarika suggested he send the script to Shah Rukh Khan.
He acknowledged that Khan was the perfect fit for the role and he could clearly envision him as Raees, although he didn't know him at the time. Remarkably, Sarika managed to obtain Khan's number, and Rahul texted him, but he never received a response, which he recounted with a hearty laugh.
The director later also shared that he had initially reached out to Irrfan Khan for the role, but the actor declined the script because he was unwilling to die at the film's conclusion.
Rahul mused that while it was uncertain whether this was prophetic, it ultimately became a deal-breaker since the character of Raees had to meet his end.
When he subsequently approached Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the actor expressed interest in portraying the cop instead. Interestingly, Irrfan also wanted to take on the role of ACP Jaideep Majmudar, which raised the question of how he could include two police officers in the film.
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