Farah Khan recounted how she and Shah Rukh Khan pitched Om Shanti Om to Arjun Rampal after several actors turned down the role of the main antagonist in her film.
Farah Khan’s directorial debut, Om Shanti Om changed the trajectory of Arjun Rampal’s career. Previously, the actor too, had admitted that this Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer was a turning point as it allowed directors to see him in a new light. His portrayal of Mukesh Mehra, a suave film producer with shades of grey, was appreciated by the audience.
But do you know that Arjun had initially turned down this role when Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan had pitched him Om Shanti Om under rather unusual circumstances? In a throwback interview with Komal Nahta, Khan had recalled about how the role of the villain in Om Shanti Om was a tough nut to crack, with many actors refusing to take up the role of Mukesh Mehra.
With just few days remaining for the film’s shooting schedule to kickstart, Farah was desperate to find an actor to play the primary villain in Om Shanti Om, as they were running out of options. That’s when she and her film’s hero- Shah Rukh Khan came up with the most unconventional casting idea.
In a hilarious turn of events, when Arjun Rampal turned up at Shah Rukh Khan’s house for the New Year’s Eve party, Farah and the superstar cornered him and literally locked him in the bathroom to pitch the film. Initially, Arjun refused the film offer, but Shah Rukh Khan managed to convince him to play Mukesh Mehra.
Farah shared, “We cast Arjun Rampal at the last minute after other actors refused the role. Me and Shah Rukh both felt that Deepika’s character should be in love with a good-looking man. He can’t be Prakash Raj. He has to look like a hero. So, when the last actor refused the role, we had to start shooting with his negative character from January 6th and we didn’t have an actor to play that role.”
She continued, “On December 31, at the New Year party at Shah Rukh’s house, we spotted Arjun and caught him. Shah Rukh and I locked him in a bathroom and narrated the story to him. After hearing it, Arjun said ‘no.’ He thought the character was too villainous, especially with scenes like burning the girl. I think it was Shah Rukh who eventually called him back and convinced him to take the role.”
Farah also narrated an interesting anecdote about how they finalized Arjun’s look for the reincarnation film.
She revealed, “We hadn’t even planned on giving his character a moustache. But two days before the shoot, Shah Rukh and Arjun showed up with Arjun sporting a moustache. I looked at him and thought, ‘You look like Vinod Khanna, let’s keep it.’ And that’s how his look was finalized!”
Over the years, Om Shanti Om has achieved a cult status for its iconic dialogues, memorable songs and of course, the performances.
