‘Don’t expect me to touch your feet, dance to your tunes’: said Shah Rukh when THESE filmmakers thought he was arrogant

In his acting career which spans over 33 long years, Bollywood’s King Shah Rukh Khan has worked with several actors as well as filmmakers. One common thing that most of the people he has collaborated with had to say about him was that he’s charming, hard-working and dedicated to his craft. But his journey to success wasn’t as easy as many might think. SRK too had to face a few hurdles along the way. For instance, did you know a few filmmakers thought the actor was arrogant?

In an interview with IBTimes many years ago, Shah Rukh Khan had revealed, “I’m not arrogant, I’m just clear-cut. I have a lot of dos and don’ts. Initially, even Subhash Ghai and Yash Chopra thought I was arrogant.” Late Yash Chopra has produced as well as directed many of the superstar’s blockbuster hits including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. But after signing Shah Rukh for Darr , which marked their first film together, the filmmaker was apparently still looking for a replacement because he thought the actor was too arrogant.

Shah Rukh had shared, “He (Yash Chopra) thought that I would give him a lot of trouble. Today, he says he can’t even think of anyone besides me. See, my attitude is ‘love me or leave me.’ I’m very hard-working. I give you value for money. You may be a big director but I’m a big actor too. So you’re not doing me a favour by taking me in your film. Don’t expect me to touch your feet and dance to your tunes, no sir.”

After Darr, Shah Rukh not only proved himself as one of the most versatile performers of the Hindi film industry, but also formed a good bond with Yash Raj Films, Yash Chopra and his filmmaker son Aditya Chopra. Even his comeback film Pathaan is being backed by Adi Chopra and YRF. Can you imagine how SRK’s career would have turned out if he was replaced in Darr? We are glad things worked out for the best!