Farhan Akhtar recalled that he first approached Hrithik Roshan for Don. He told the actor that he wanted to cast him as Don and would be reaching out to him as soon as he complete writing the script. But while writing it, he could only think of Shah Rukh Khan for the role. When he shared about the same to Hrithik, he graciously accepted his dilemma and asked him to cast SRK for it. Farhan also praised Shah Rukh’s personality and behaviour. For the unversed, Hrithik Roshan made a cameo in the 2011 film Don 2. 

In an interview with Raj Shamani for his podcast, Farhan said “I reached out to Hrithik and I told him that I am thinking about remaking Don. He said ‘Sounds amazing’ and I said ‘Let me write it and I will bring it to you’. While writing it, the only person whose face kept popping into my head was Shah Rukh.” 

He continued, “When I was writing, it felt like this guy is actually the best actor for this part but I had already spoken to Hrithik so I thought about what to do. I called up Hrithik and I told him that I have been writing the film and I am just feeling more and more that I should reach out to Shah Rukh. He said ‘Farhan, you have to make your film, you have to make it the way you want to make it and if you are feeling he is the guy, please go ahead and call him, don’t worry about me’. That is a very gracious thing.”

Talking about Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan said “He can talk about any topic and he will have his point of view on that. He is a good listener. He is well read and he is also interested in people. He is curious and adventurous. He likes to have a nice time and he doesn’t like the weight of things too much. He is a fun guy to hang around. There is an inherent charm he has that is magnetic and it is both on and off the screen. He is easy, it doesn’t feel laboured and that ease makes you feel comfortable. He works really hard and that has kept him where he is,” he added.