Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.ndtv.com
aran Johar has often recalled his first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, which took place at veteran producer-director Aanand Mahendroo’s office in the late 1980s. At the time, Karan was preparing to make his acting debut in Mahendroo’s children’s science-fiction television series Indradhanush (1989). According to Karan, Shah Rukh had visited the office to decline a role in the same show, and his direct manner of refusing the offer initially left Karan with the impression that he was arrogant.
That perception changed years later when the two worked together on Aditya Chopra’s 1995 blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. During the film, Karan served as an assistant director, appeared in a supporting role and also helped with Shah Rukh’s costumes. The collaboration marked the beginning of a long professional and personal association between them.
However, Aanand Mahendroo has since offered a different account of the incident, suggesting that his recollection of Shah Rukh’s visit and rejection of the role does not entirely match Karan’s version of events.
Aanand said on The Indian Express’s Screen Spotlight, “How Karan tells the story has a little masala: ‘Mujhe serial-verial nahi karna hai (I don’t want to do serials)!’ That’s not how Shah Rukh is.”
Mahendroo said Shah Rukh Khan maintained a positive relationship with him even after achieving stardom. He recalled that following Shah Rukh’s rise in popularity, particularly after the success of Yash Chopra’s 1993 romantic thriller Darr, the actor agreed to make a cameo appearance in Rajani, a television series produced by Mahendroo and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The filmmaker cited the cameo as an example of Shah Rukh’s willingness to support former associates despite his growing fame in the industry.
He added, “Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have had such a good relationship with him that, years later, after Darr became a hit, we would spend an entire day working together on Rajani. The next day, he even allowed us to shoot at his house in Bandra.”
“I also had an office in Delhi, and Shah Rukh would come there to meet me. I liked him. He was a member of Qutub Club and would take me bowling. He would take me to Paranthe Wali Gali at night, play music at full volume, stand on top of the car and sing Govinda’s song Kaali Aankhen Miss India,” he said.
Recalling an incident that reflected Shah Rukh Khan’s strong sense of career direction, Mahendroo said veteran filmmaker Basu Bhattacharya, a close family friend, had once offered the actor a role in one of his films. However, Shah Rukh chose not to accept the project because he already had a clear vision for his career and the kind of work he wanted to pursue.
According to Mahendroo, Shah Rukh told Basu Bhattacharya, “I’m not interested in doing intellectual films. There are already quite a few actors in the industry. I want to be a star.”
Mahendroo added, “The best thing about him is that he’s very clear about what he wants to do and what he doesn’t.”
“I saw a bit of myself in him. He would never go to the make-up room. Even when they were filming Mahima’s scenes or choreographer Ahmed Khan was shooting with the junior artistes, he would remain on set. He lived and breathed cinema all the time, and that resonated strongly with me,” he said.
