When Shah Rukh Khan ‘replaced' Salman Khan in Chak De India– what really happened?
Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De India is considered among the finest films in his entire career. The movie not only impressed the audience but also emerged as a big money spinner at the box office, despite opening low.
However, not many know that Shah Rukh Khan wasn't the first choice to play the lead role of Hockey coach Kabir Khan in Chak De India, but it was offered to Salman Khan. So, let's find out the reason why the sports drama couldn't materialize with Salman Khan.
A few media reports claimed that Salman Khan had asked for a hefty remuneration for Chak De India. Because of the same, Aditya Chopra didn't work with him until Ek Tha Tiger (2012), where the Megastar signed on his terms.
When Salman Khan revealed reason behind turning down Chak De India
During Sultan promotions in 2016, when Salman Khan was asked why he turned down Chak De, the actor jokingly said, 'I left it because even Shah Rukh Khan should be a part of a few great films.' Furthermore, the actor mentioned that at that time, his image was not appropriate to play a sports coach like Kabir Khan. He pointed out that he left the movie due to the heroic expectations he carries among fans.
'When I was offered Chak De, my image was totally different as I was doing Partner and all those kinds of films. My only thing in Chak De was that my fans would expect me to wear a wig and win the match for India, which would not go for the film. That was not my genre at that point in time,' expressed Salman.
The actor highlighted that Chak De India was inclined towards serious cinema and had fewer commercial aspects. He said, 'It was a more serious kind of film and I was doing more of a commercial kind of cinema which I am still doing. I would never move out of the commercial cinema zone but it is just that there would be a lot of meaningful cinema in the commercial zone.'
For the unversed, Chak De India was directed by Shimit Amin. Released in 2007, the movie emerged as the second highest grosser of the year, only behind Om Shanti Om.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
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