Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Darr. (Image courtesy YouTube)
Highlights
- "His character Rahul was written keeping me in mind," said the actor
- "I remember Yash ji had called me for a narration," he added
- "I couldn't take up the offer," he said
It is almost impossible to imagine the 1993 film Darr without Shah Rukh Khan, right? Well, turns out, SRK was not the first preference of the film's director Yash Chopra. It was Rahul Roy, reports Mumbai Mirror. During a recent episode of Kapil Sharma's talk show Comedy Nights With Kapil, Rahul Roy revealed that he was approached to play the role of Rahul Mehra, which went on to become one of SRK's most loved performances. "I remember Yash ji had called me for a narration. I was pre-occupied with other films and couldn't take up the offer as many of the projects I had signed on were already on floors and filmmakers were fighting for my dates," Mumbai Mirror quoted Rahul Roy as saying.
The 51-year-old actor added, "Well, the film was Darr, which later went to Shah Rukh Khan and shaped his career. His character Rahul was written keeping me in mind. I still have the big regret of not signing that film."
Shah Rukh Khan played Juhi Chawla's obsessive stalker, while Sunny Deol played Kiran (Juhi Chawla's husband) Sunil in the 1993 thriller. The film resonates with today's generation with the much-quoted dialogue "K-k-k-k-Kiran." Darr was Shah Rukh Khan's first Yash Raj film. Yash Chopra, who died in 2012, later directed him in Dil To Pagal Hai, Veer-Zaara and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
Rahul Roy is best-known for his performance in Mahesh Bhatt's 1990 blockbuster Aashiqui, co-starring Anu Agarwal and Deepak Tijori. The actor also starred in several films in the Nineties, including Junoon, Pyaar Ka Saaya, Pehla Nasha, Jaanam and Naseeb among others.