Farah Khan Reveals Kamal Haasan Was Her First Choice For Main Hoon Na: 'He Asked Me To Duck Off'
Farah Khan revealed she first offered Main Hoon Na's villain role to Kamal Haasan – and his response was hilarious.
Farah Khan's cooking vlog with Shruti Haasan recently turned into an unexpected Bollywood throwback, when the filmmaker revealed that her debut film almost looked very different. During the casual kitchen chat, Farah recalled approaching Shruti's father, Kamal Haasan, for a key role in her 2004 hit Main Hoon Na. To her surprise, the veteran actor turned it down – in a way only he could!
'Kamal sir was my first choice for Main Hoon Na, but then Suniel Shetty played that role. I went to Chennai to his office and narrated him the script, and he politely asked me to duck off," Farah laughed, without sharing why he refused.
Why Kamal Haasan Said No to Farah Khan's Debut
In the film, the role in question was the antagonist, Raghavan Dutta, who stood against Shah Rukh Khan's Major Ram in the Indo-Pak peace mission storyline. The part eventually went to Suniel Shetty, whose performance became one of the film's highlights.
Farah revealed she had flown to Chennai to personally narrate the script to Kamal, convinced he was perfect for the part. Instead, she left with a polite but clear rejection – and a story she now tells with a smile.
Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na Journey and Its Success
Released in 2004, Main Hoon Na became a commercial and critical success. The Shah Rukh Khan-led cast included Sushmita Sen, Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao, and was packed with hit songs like Tumse Milke and Main Hoon Na.
Made on a budget of Rs 25 crore, it earned over Rs 70 crore worldwide, mixing campus comedy, family drama, romance and action in one package. The plot followed Major Ram as he went undercover in a college to protect a general's daughter while mending his own fractured family ties.
Main Hoon Na was first released in cinemas on April 30, 2004. It not only marked Zayed Khan's entry in Bollywood but was also Farah Khan's directorial debut.
Main Hoon Naa 2 With Shah Rukh Khan In The Works?
As per reports, now, after nearly two decades, SRK and Farah Khan may reunite once again. According to Pinkvilla, Farah is developing a script for Main Hoon Na 2 under Red Chillies Entertainment, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan's production banner. A source close to the project revealed earlier this year, 'Farah has come up with an idea for the sequel, and Shah Rukh loves the direction she's planning to take. The screenplay is currently in progress, with collaboration between Farah's writing team and in-house writers at Red Chillies."
Kamal Haasan's Recent Work
Kamal Haasan was last seen in the Tamil film Thug Life, reuniting with director Mani Ratnam after 37 years. Despite the hype, it collected only Rs 97.25 crore globally. The actor is now working on S Shankar's Indian 3, with its release date yet to be announced.
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