- Raghuvir Yadav, 1942: A Love Story, India, 1993. The drama’s top star (and freedom fighter) Jackie Shroff tried to get SRK, then a hot TV star, to join up… .Since then, the mighty SRK has become The King of Bollywood…or just King Khan, for short. He has made more than 80 Bollywood films, and earned accolades at home and abroad, including a French Légion d’honneur and 14 trophies aIndia’s Filmfare Awards.
- Hrithik Roshan, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, India, 2000. Hey dad, why look elsewhere…? Khan was almost pacted as the hero until Hrithik told his father, veteran Bollywood director Rakesh Roshan: “You’ve made enough movies with the Khan clan. Isn’t time you tried someone new?”Nudge-nudge, wink-wink.And so a new Bollywood superstar was born…
- Hrithik Roshan,Mission Kashmir, India, 2000. Even SRK foundit difficult (for a wee while) to compete with the Hindi Tom Cruise. And Hrithikmania!
- Sanjay Dutt, Munnabhai MBBS, India, 2003. SRK was, inevitably, anearly choice for the Mumbaigangster persuading his parents that he is their dream – a doctor. He had to quit due to a neck injury.In the credits, the producersthanked him for his help with thescenario.
- Naveen Andrews, Bride & Prejudice, 2003. UK director GurindaChadha’s invite to play Jaya Bakshi (ie Mr Bingly), the other suitor of Lalita (ie Lizzie Bennett)- as Bollywood collided withJane Austen.
- Saif Ali Khan, Hum Tum, India, 2004. Director Aditya Chopra was first to announce a When Harry Met Sally…, Bollywopd style, matching SRK and Kajol. Instead, Kunal Kohli made the re-hash with t’other Khan and Rani Mukherjee (also selected for Chopra’s project) and Chopra kept his stars for the more originalRab Ne Bana Di Jodi, 2008.
- Salman Khan, Kyon Ki… India, 2005. SRK and Salman are two ofthe Khan quartet which ruled the 90s’Bollywood:Aamir, Saif Ali, Salman and Shahrukh.
- Ashkay Kumar, Jaan-E-Mann: Let’s Fall In Love… Again, India, 2006. Salman Khan was already cast. Two of the top four Khansin one moviewould havebeen too much.SRK declined, forgetting there’s always a new superblade behind you…
- John Abraham, No Smoking, India, 2007.Director Anurag Kashyap’s (modest) friend, Kay Kay Menon, said a bigger star was required. SRK fitted that bill but took a hike on discovering his hero was a smoker. Enter: Abraham, the suddenly flying highex-Bangkok waiter,model… and, anyway, the only actor replying to the director’s SMS plea!
- Madhavan, Rang De Basanti, India, 2006. The first choice for Flight Lieutenant Ajay Rathod couldn’t flydue to his hectic schedules.
- Ajay Devgan, London Dreams, India, 2008. A decade earlier, directorRajkumar Santoshi planned the film with a different cast and title: Rashque.
- Rajnkanth, Endhiran/The Robot/Robo, India, 2010.In July 2007, SRK agreed to produce and play the dualroles ofscientist Dr Vasigaran and his creation, the robot, Chitthi, which falls in love with co-star Aishwarya Rai – amid a record, $35m-worth of cast, crew, costumes, stunts, SFX by the Batman, Matrix, Jurassic Park teams and Austria, Brazil, Peru, US locations. By October,he split from director S Shankar’s dreamTamil project (since 2001), bemoaninga dull, half-baked script, far from SRK’s usual Bollywood standards.Yeah, right! Shankar made it with Rajnkanth (at 60),the bus conductor turned moustachioed megastar of 150 action movies, literally worshipped byfans of the Kannada, Malayalam, Ytamil, Telugu, language moviesof South Indian cinema – India’s largest. And it became quite simply the highest grossing filmin Indian history.
- Abhishek Bachchan, Raavan, 2010. Director Mani Ratnam’s first choice of the warlord Beera – who kidnaps the police chief’s wife, Aishwarya Rai. In the end, her husband played her kidnapper in this Hindi updating of an ancient Indian epic, The Ramayana. By 2012, SRK was the second richest actor in the world after Tom Cruise and richest international celeb after Jerry Seinfield – earning in excess of £25m. At 48, he had an estimated personal fortune of £350m. He co-owns the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, has his own production company, homes in Delhi, Dubai, London, Mumbai, plus lucrative endorsement deals with Nokia, Pepsi, TAG Heuer.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Shah Rukh KhanCasting Calls: 13