25 Years Of Main Khiladi Tu Anari: When Shah Rukh Khan Was Not Comfortable Sharing The Screen With Akshay Kumar

Main Khiladi Tu Anari starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan is one of those quintessential movies from 90s Bollywood that cemented our love for Akshay and Saif.  The songs, especially the title track is still on the playlist of every true filmy fan. But did you know that 1994 hit almost had Shah Rukh Khan in it?

Main Khiladi Tu Anari is an unofficial remake of the 1991 Hollywood film The Hard Way starring Michael J Fox and James Wood. When it was being adapted in Bollywood, Shah Rukh was really keen on being a part of the film. However, he wasn’t comfortable with Akshay Kumar being in the film as he thought that he would soak up half the limelight from him. In fact, he wanted someone older like Naseeruddin Shah or Om Puri to play the role of the cop as is the case with The Hard Way.

After the film released, Shah Rukh saw the film and thought that it lacked depth and unlike the original film, Main Khiladi Tu Anari was made to be an out and out comedy film, which he wasn’t a fan of.

Well, it has been 25 years since the incident and these two have achieved every height of stardom in their respective career but are yet to work together for a film. However, in 2007, Akshay made a small cameo in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om starring Shah Rukh.