When Shah Rukh Khan Rejected Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Not Once Or Twice But Four Times Due To His Age-Related Concern

When Shah Rukh Khan had turned down Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 4 times! (Photo Credit – Facebook)

To say that Shah Rukh Khan immortalized Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s Raj as the ultimate symbol of romance is just the bare minimum. In the iconic ‘Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana’ sequence with the superstar’s signature pose, while standing in the Sarson Ka Khet or the train scene in the climax, every die-hard Bollywood romantics gulped every scene and emotion of the movie as passionately as possible. As the film turns 29 today (October 20), did you know that Shah Rukh Khan rejected the movie 4 times? Yes, you heard that right.

We almost missed out on the superstar playing the cult character. Reason? Shah Rukh Khan thought he was too ‘old’ to play the role of Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Imagine the King Of Romance wanting to turn down a role like Raj, sounds a bummer, right? But it ended up happening almost 4 times. According to a news report in Scoopwhoop, SRK, in a documentary had said, “I never wanted to do a romantic role. Because by the time I joined films I was 26. Normally, romantic films meant that you started off from a college and then you work your way up into romance and then run away with a girl, or committed suicide with a girl. I thought I was too old to be a romantic hero.”

The actor further said he was keen to take up negative roles like Darr and Baazigar, which he felt gave him more prominence. After repeatedly rejecting Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, director-producer Aditya Chopra offered the role to Saif Ali Khan. But as they say, destiny always finds its way to the things meant for you, Yash Chopra persuaded his son to convince Shah Rukh Khan.

Yash Chopra himself decided to meet Shah Rukh Khan and said, “You must take up romantic roles on the big screens if you want to survive in the industry.” The actor could not refuse the legendary producer and nodded to the movie. And the rest, they say, is history. The movie became one of the most successful films in Indian cinema and the longest-running movie in the country. Most importantly, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge redefined SRK as a milestone actor in romance and charm.