Why Shah Rukh Khan backed out of 'Munnabhai'

Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra says that Shah Rukh Khan had always been his first choice for most of his films, be it 3 Idiots, Munnabhai MBBS, or the yet-to-be released Ferrari Ki Sawari.

"Shah Rukh was offered 3 Idiots, Ferrari Ki Sawari, Munnabhai and other films. He is our first guy - we go to him first and if he says no, then we move on," Chopra told reporters here.

Shah Rukh had backed out of Munnabhai MBBS because of back trouble and could not do 3 Idiots because of date issues. 

If Chopra had his way, SRK would have been the Munnabhai of Munnabhai MBBS and Sanjay Dutt would have played the small role of Zaheer, a cancer patient.

"Today, I feel Sanjay is perfect as Munna and same way Sharman fits the central role in Ferrari Ki Sawari. It is all about writing and getting the right actor for the right role, which is difficult," Chopra said.