JOIN USThrowback: Here’s why Kamal Haasan refused to play the antagonist in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Main Hoon Na’
Kamal Haasan is beyond any doubt one of the most celebrated names in Indian cinema. The original ‘pan-India hero’ enjoys a strong fan following due to his stellar body of work and impressive screen presence. While almost everyone is familiar with his brand of acting, not many know that the Sadma actor was supposed to play a key role in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Main Hoon Na.
Director Farah Khan once told Bollywood Hungama that she wanted Kamal to play the main antagonist in Main Hoon Na and discussed the matter with him in Chennai. While ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ treated her quite well, he refused to take up the movie as he was working on another film. Following this, the choreographer-director approached Nana Patekar, who suggested some changes to the script as he felt the character needed a strong backstory. The makers paid heed to his advice but decided against casting the Kaala baddie. The role ultimately went to Suniel Shetty and helped him revive his career.
Main Hoon Na, which hit screens in 2004, was a commercial drama that featured Shah Rukh Khan and Sushmita Sen in the lead. The film, marking Farah’s directorial debut, did well at the box office and received rave reviews from all corners. It was later remade in Tamil as Aegan with Ajith Kumar and ‘Lady Superstar’ Nayanthara in the lead. The remake, however, failed to recreate the magic of the original version.
Coming back to the present, Kamal is going through a difficult phase on the work front. The veteran actor-director was last seen in the Hindi-Tamil bilingual Vishwaroop 2/Vishwaroopam 2 that failed to rake in the moolah. The spy-thriller received mixed reviews from most corners and this proved to be its undoing. He will soon be resuming work on the eagerly-awaited Indian 2, a sequel to the 1996 classic Indian. The Shankar-directed film has a strong cast that includes Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet and Siddharth.