This Shah Rukh Khan film was rejected by Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan; became blockbuster, earned Rs..., marked debut of...

Helmed by the choreographer and filmmaker Farah Khan in her directorial debut, the 2004 release Main Hoon Na was a masala entertainer starring Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Suniel Shetty, Amrita Rao, and Zayed Khan in the leading roles. The film, which was also Khan's first production venture under his banner Red Chillies Entertainment, was a huge box office success. Made in Rs 25 crore, Main Hoon Na grossed Rs 50 crore in India and Rs 70 crore worldwide, thus becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of the year, only behing Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji-starrer Veer-Zaara.

While Shah Rukh played Major Ram Prasad Sharma, Zayed Khan played his stepbrother Laxman Prasad 'Lucky' Sharma in the film. Before Zayed, Farah Khan had offered the film to Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Sohail Khan, who refused to play the second lead in the romantic action thriller. In a recent interview with the YouTuber Siddharth Kannan, Zayed recalled how he bagged the role.

Main Hoon Na was first offered to Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sohail Khan

He said, "So the role was initially offered to Hrithik Roshan, then it went to Sohail Khan, and then finally it was given to Abhishek Bachchan. But somehow things didn’t work out with any of these actors." He added that one day, he called Farah to help him with the choreography of the song Mohabbat Hai Mirchi from his 2002 film Chura Liya Hai Tumne, but before he could even say a sentence, she asked him to come and meet him in her office. When he reached at the address given to him by the director, Zayed realised that it was actually Shah Rukh Khan's office as the walls were adorned with the pictures of the superstar.

Zayed Khan hugged a tree after bagging Main Hoon Na

"Farah came into the office, and I asked her whether she was going to help me with the song. She instantly told me to ‘shut up’ and said that Shah Rukh wanted to talk to me. Shah Rukh came in with his charm and aura and told me, 'Don’t listen to what she is saying; we have called you over because we are considering you for a role'", Zayed further added. He was so shocked and confused at that moment that he started giving an impromptu audition right there, following which Farah walked out from the office without saying a single word. "Before driving off, she looked at me from inside her car and said, ‘Send me your measurements; you are in my movie,’ and I remember being so excited that I hugged a tree", concluded Zayed.

After Main Hoon Na, Farah Khan made the reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om which marked Deepika Padukone's Bollywood debut in 2007, Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in 2010, and returned to Shah Rukh-Deepika with Happy New Year in 2014. The director still hasn't announced her next film yet.

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