Avinash Wadhawan was way ahead of Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Suniel Shetty and Shah Rukh Khan in the 90s.
Thousands of people come to Mumbai everyday to become actors and fulfil their dreams, however only a few get lucky. Sometimes, even established actors make decisions that cost them big opportunities. Today, we'll discuss one such actor who turned down the chance to play Raja Sahi in the 1992 blockbuster film Deewana, a role that eventually led Shah Rukh Khan to stardom.
90s popular actor Avinash Wadhawan, During an interview with Siddharth Kannan, disclosed that he had declined the role of Raja Sahi in the 1992 film Deewana, a role that eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan. Avinash mentioned that he was initially approached for the part and was the first choice for the film.
He said, “Raju [filmmaker Raj Kanwar] mujhse milne aya. Booaton baaton mein usne mujhe bola ki mujhe film ka offer aya hai as a director. There are 3 producers. Hum ek film produce kar rahe hai jisme there are 2 heroes. Rishi Kapoor ji has already been signed. Aur ek nayi ladki hai Divya Bharti usko we are taking and the second hero is not yet finalised. Aur Avinash main tujhse milne aya hu, us role ke liye. (Raju, the filmmaker, approached me and mentioned that he had an offer to direct a film. He said there were three producers involved, and they were planning a movie with two male leads. Rishi Kapoor had already been cast, and they were considering Divya Bharti for the female lead. However, the second male lead had not been finalized yet, and Raju had come to discuss that role with me.)”
The actor added, “maine usko bola ki Raju second hero ki to entry interval ke just pehle hai. [I told him that Raju, the entry of the second hero, is just before the interval.] The whole film focused on Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti. So I said yaar I am doing all solo hero films at this moment. Aur Rishi Ji ki bahut respect karta hu mai. Mere bahut favourite rahe hai vo. Unki sab filmein maine dekhi hai. Mujhe aise lagta hai ki wo mere se age-wise bade lgengey. [And I have a lot of respect for Rishi Ji. He has always been one of my favourites. I have watched all his films. I feel that he will appear older than me age-wise.] He tried to convince me ki nahi nahi Avinash, you do it. You know Deewana, you are playing the title role. He was forcing me to do that role. He was trying his best ki mai haan boldu. [that I say yes to the project.]”
Later, Avinash Wadhawan explained why he couldn't commit to the film. He cited scheduling conflicts, noting that his dates were already reserved with K.C. Bokadia for another project. Additionally, he had prior commitments, including a 10-day trip to Chennai and a shoot in Mahabaleshwar for the filming of songs for the movie Shohrat.
He mentioned, “During a conversation with my secretary, she informed me that we couldn't commit to any new film at the moment. She advised me to inform anyone approaching us for a new project that we could only provide dates starting from next year. So, when Raju approached me, I explained the situation regarding my schedule. I expressed that I was facing date issues and could only offer availability after 12 months. Currently, I was already committed to eight ongoing film projects, leaving me unable to allocate time for his project as well.”
How Shah Rukh got the role:
Avinash Wadhawan said, “Then he went to other people. Then finally I think Divya only suggested Shah Rukh. Divya knew Shah Rukh. He got him introduced to Raj Kanwar and that's how they signed it.”
In the 90s, Avinash starred in the blockbuster Ayee Milan Ki Raat, and superhits Dil Ki Baazi with Akshay Kumar, Papi Gudiya with Karisma Kapoor, Junoon with Rahul Roy, and Geet with Divya Bharti. Avinash gave tough competition to his 90s contemporaries, including Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Shah Rukh Khan.
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 "Avinash Wadhawan-Shah Rukh Khan (Credit: Twitter)")
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