Screenwriter Mushtaq Sheikh recently revealed that Shah Rukh Khan faced rejection over his interview during his initial career in film industry. This happened when SRK was quite popular on television.
Picture courtesy: IMDb
Shah Rukh Khan, who appeared in several TV shows in the 1980s like Fauji, Circus, and Dil Dariya, marked his film debut with Deewana in 1992. SRK later became a superstar in the Hindi film industry and continues to rule Bollywood.
During his initial career in showbiz, there was a time when a film magazine rejected him.
Shah Rukh Khan was rejected for not being ‘cool’, reveals screenwriter Mushtaq Sheikh
During a recent conversation with Cyrus Broacha on his podcast, Cyrus Says, screenwriter Mushtaq Sheikh recalled interviewing Shah Rukh Khan as a freelance journalist in a film magazine.
“When I take that interview to my editor, it’s not considered cool enough because he is not a film star. He was huge on television but not in films,” Mushtaq said.
SRK was ‘brilliant and witty’ like he is today
Mushtaq Sheikh shared that Shah Rukh Khan’s article was quite good and praised the superstar saying that he was as “sparkling, brilliant, and witty as he is today”.
Talking about Shah Rukh’s persona, the former journalist shared that the Fauji actor had a “crackling” sense of humour and he had a different perspective on the film industry.
Here’s how SRK’s interview got published in the magazine
Mushtaq Sheikh further revealed that he took 16 ‘Khans’ interviews to publish SRK’s copy, out of which “none of them” are in the film industry today.
Shah Rukh Khan’s work front
After his Bollywood debut, Shah Rukh Khan experimented with antagonist roles in films like Darr, Anjaam, and Baazigar in the 1990s. SRK’s notable films include Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Chak De! India, Devdas, Chalte Chalte, Baadshah, Yes Boss and more.
Shah Rukh took a long gap after his 2018 film, Zero tanked at the box office. He made a comeback with Siddharth Anand’s directorial venture, Pathaan in 2023. He then appeared in films like Jawan and Dunki.
SRK will now be seen in full-fledged actioner, King, co-starring his daughter, actress Suhana Khan.
