Shah Rukh Khan convinced Rakesh Roshan to cast him in King Uncle instead of Salman Khan, reveals his close friend Vivek Vaswani | Hindi Movie News

It was in the early 1990s that Shah Rukh Khan transitioned to the big screen and achieved widespread recognition. His first feature film was Deewana in 1992 and while he was still a newbie in the film business, SRK managed to strike a three-film deal with actor-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan.
In a recent interview, SRK’s close friend and producer Vivek Vaswani recalled how the superstar left Rakesh Roshan stunned with his knowledge of film business and landed a role in King Uncle in place of Salman Khan.
Vivek told Film Companion that he had arranged for a meeting between Shah Rukh and Rakesh. He was well aware that the role of Jackie Shroff‘s brother in King Uncle was yet to be cast. So he suggested SRK’s name for the same. When Rakesh met SRK, he asked him point blank, ‘Why should I cast you?’
The producer said that he had coached SRK and explained him about the film business. He then went on to reveal that the role of Jackie’s brother in the film was initially going to be offered to Salman who was already a star at that time.

He mentioned that Rakesh had already sold King Uncle, so casting Salman and paying him more money was not going to raise the price of the film and casting SRK at lower money was not going to reduce the price of the film.

Vivek shared that Rakesh was left jaw-dropped when he heard Shah Rukh talking like a professional of the industry, like a veteran, being the one coming from a TV background. Rakesh was taken by SRK’s intelligence that he signed a three-film deal with film. After King Uncle, SRK appeared in Karan Arjun and Koyla, directed by Rakesh Roshan.

In the subsequent years, Shah Rukh Khan continued to build his reputation as a versatile actor. Films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), Darr (1993), and Baazigar (1993) showcased his ability to portray diverse characters.