Salman Khan once turned down a blockbuster film that went on to become a major turning point in Shah Rukh Khan's career. Here's how the unexpected decision helped shape SRK's journey to superstardom.
That One Incident Changed Shah Rukh Khan Into King Khan
King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 61st birthday today. He rules the Indian film industry as an undisputed superstar for the last 34 years. Fans always talk about the strong friendship between Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Many people do not know that Salman Khan actually helped Shah Rukh Khan reach this superstar level. Yes, you heard that right. Let us look at that crazy incident which completely changed the career of SRK.
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The Real Story Started With An Offer From Salman Khan
Shah Rukh Khan mentioned many times that Salman Khan and his family supported him a lot during his early career. Salman played a main role in giving SRK his first big blockbuster movie.
This story goes back to the 1993 movie Baazigar. Director duo Abbas-Mustan made this film. The hero character Ajay Sharma has negative shades. Playing an anti-hero role was a very big risk for a new actor in those days.
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SRK Hit The Jackpot When Salman Khan Said No
Directors Abbas-Mustan first took the Baazigar story to Salman Khan. Salman refused to play a character with negative shades at that time. He rejected the role completely.
Salman then advised the directors to contact Shah Rukh Khan. He told them that SRK would suit the role perfectly. The directors liked this idea and approached Shah Rukh Khan. SRK happily accepted the challenge and acted in the movie.
Shah Rukh Khan made a grand entry with the movie Deewana. He still needed a massive commercial hit as a solo hero. He got that exact success in the form of Baazigar.
The movie created a sensation in theatres after its release. Shah Rukh mesmerised everyone with his acting skills. He became a massive superstar overnight. This movie remains a very crucial milestone in his career.
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A 4 Crore Movie Collected 32 Crore At The Box Office
Makers produced the Baazigar movie with an estimated budget of just Rs 4 crore, according to IMDb reports. The movie broke box office records after its release. It collected a massive Rs 32 crore in total.
The film brought profits of almost 8 times the original budget. That one movie rejected by Salman Khan completely changed the fate of Shah Rukh Khan. It established him as the King Khan of Bollywood.
