Tuesday Trivia: Salman Khan Was The First Choice For Baazigar And Chak De! India Before Shah Rukh Khan Was Roped In

Salman Khan said in an interview that Shah Rukh wouldn't have been as popular if he had starred in 'Baazigar'.

Shah Rukh won the Best Actor Filmfare Award along with recognition for his portrayal of an antagonist in 'Baazigar'. 

Source : IMDb

New Delhi: Salman Khan revealed in an old interview that he turned down the hockey drama 'Chak De! India' and 'Baazigar'. After Shah Rukh Khan took the lead in both movies, they both became blockbusters. The actor seemed to be jokingly mentioning his contemporary Shah Rukh Khan in an interview, saying that Shah Rukh wouldn't have been as popular if he had starred in 'Baazigar'. Also, Salman stated that he has no "regrets" about passing on the movies. 

Salman Khan also mentioned Shah Rukh's expansive Mannat home in Bandra West, Mumbai. When asked if he harbors a "grudge" against Shah Rukh over Chak De! India's success in a 2007 interview with The Indian Express, he responded, “Not at all. I refused the film and he signed it so it's fair. I had refused Baazigar as well. When Abbas Mustan came to me with the script, I asked my dad for his inputs. He felt that since it's a story of a negative character they should add an angle of the mother in it. They didn't agree."

"When I said no to the film, they went to Shah Rukh and then they added the mother angle! (Laughs) But I don't regret it at all. Just imagine, if I had done Baazigar then there would be no Mannat standing in Bandstand today. I'm very happy for Shah Rukh and his success,” he added.

Shah Rukh won the Best Actor Filmfare Award along with recognition for his portrayal of an antagonist in the movie. 

"Adi (Aditya Chopra) had told me during the narration that he's going to make a damn good film. But I had a problem with the climax. My reasoning was that if you lose to Pakistan then you also have to win with Pakistan. I also had a problem with the title. I wish they hadn't added India to the title. I felt our fans in Pakistan and Bangladesh might feel bad.” 

On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan recently made a cameo in the spy movie Salman Khan's 'Tiger 3', which also stars Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi.