Vidhu Vinod Chopra Discloses Shah Rukh Khan As Original Pick for ‘1942: A Love Story,’ Not Anil Kapoor
Vidhu Vinod Chopra reveals that he initially offered ‘1942: A Love Story’ to Shah Rukh Khan who was at the cusp of making his acting debut.
Shah Rukh Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have harbored plans for a collaboration over the span of three decades, yet the partnership remains unrealized. During a fireside chat at Kellogg School of Management, the filmmaker disclosed an intriguing anecdote—revealing that Shah Rukh was initially considered for the lead role in his romantic film ‘1942: A Love Story’.
Reflecting on the history he shared with Shah Rukh, Vinod recounted, “Shah Rukh had a history with me. When I was making 1942: A Love Story, I’d seen his work. Renu (Saluja, his then-wife) had edited a film called Maya Memsaab. He had a small role. So I offered him the role. I was the first person to offer him a role. He wasn’t a star then,” Despite this, Shah Rukh’s career soared with notable hits like ‘Darr’ and ‘Baazigar’.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra eventually cast Anil Kapoor, who had previously worked with him in ‘Parinda’ (1989), for ‘1942: A Love Story’. The film featured Manisha Koirala alongside him. Notably, the role initially offered to Manisha Koirala was intended for Madhuri Dixit. Apart from Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala, ‘1942: A Love Story’ also starred Jackie Shroff.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh was approached by Vidhu for the titular role in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’, a 2003 production. However, Shah Rukh’s medical concerns led him to opt out of the project. Vidhu expressed his support for Shah Rukh’s recovery and even promised that upon his return, they would collaborate. Due to unforeseen complications, Shah Rukh couldn’t participate, leading to Sanjay Dutt taking on the iconic role. He shared, “I told him you go, take six months, one year whatever. But when you come back, my film is the first one you’re doing. Due to complications, he didn’t do the film. So I said Sanjay Dutt is the right choice for this,”
After making his Bollywood debut with Raj Kanwar’s 1992 romantic film ‘Deewana’, Shah Rukh went on to appear in a series of movies. These included Rajiv Mehra’s romantic comedy fantasy ‘Chamatkar’ (1992), Aziz Mirza’s rom-com ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ (1992), Hema Malini’s romantic drama ‘Dil Aashna Hai’ (1992), and Ketan Mehta’s mystery film ‘Maya Memsaab’ (1993). Despite not being a part of ‘1942: A Love Story’, Shah Rukh’s career ascended rapidly with successful films like Yash Chopra’s 1993 romantic thriller ‘Darr’ and Abbas-Mustan’s 1993 revenge thriller ‘Baazigar’.
