Karan Johar Says He Didn't Have The 'Guts' To Ask SRK For 'Rocky Aur Rani..' Cameo After He Did 'Brahmastra' For Free

Shah Rukh Khan and director Karan Johar have a long-standing working relationship that extends both on and off camera.

Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan are best friends.

New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan and director Karan Johar have a long-standing working relationship that extends both on and off camera. He entered the industry just a few years after SRK, who showed his trust in him by consenting to feature in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, his debut film as a filmmaker. They have collaborated on a number of projects together over the years, but Karan acknowledged he can't use his friendship card to demand cameo appearances from Shah Rukh without question.

Karan discussed Shah Rukh's cameos in Brahmastra and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, two of his popular films, in an interview with Pinkvilla. Even though his team had previously come up with a plan for how Shah Rukh may appear in the movie, Karan claimed that after 'Brahmastra' he felt unable to ask Shah Rukh for a cameo in 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.'

On being asked if internally he wanted to ask the superstar for doing a cameo, Karan said, "Very. The entire AD team will say that in Tum Kya Mile, they said that the best moment would be if you track away from Alia and Ranveer, and just go to Shah Rukh and Kajol singing the same song. They look at them, and Alia realises that this is pure love, because (Shah Rukh and Kajol) represent love. I said, ‘With what kind of guts do I ask Shah Rukh to not only do a cameo, but to go to Kashmir, and get into hair and costume’.”

Karan also explained his hesitation behind doing so as he said, "Shah Rukh never says no to me. I have to pick and choose what I ask for. I remember when, as a team, we went to him to ask him to play that massive, impactful cameo in Brahmastra. At the end of the day, he looked at us and said, ‘It’s Karan, I can never say no’. I know that I can’t take that empowered feeling for granted and keep going back."

Karan opted to "let it go" for Rocky Aur Rani because he would have been "too embarrassed to ask him again." Shah Rukh gave him "nearly 12 to 14 days" for Brahmastra, according to Karan, and "didn't charge a penny." He's also got a king's heart, Karan said. In the Ayan Mukerji film Brahmastra, which also starred Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the key roles, Shah Rukh played a scientist. This was before he made his triumphant acting comeback with the films Pathaan and Jawan, which together have earned around Rs 2200 crore overseas.

Meawhile, Karan Johar's directorial debut 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kajol, recently completed 25 years of its release and the film has been re-released in select theatres to mark the silver jubilee.