When Satish Shah First Rejected 'Disgusting' Role In Main Hoon Na, Shah Rukh Khan Said THIS To Convince Him

Satish Shah's career was based on comedy that didn't require extravagance, just timing, heart, and honesty - from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Main Hoon Na to Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai and much more. And few will ever measure up to his legacy if laughter is a true metric. Satish Shah's sudden demise has sent shockwaves across the industry. Throughout his 50-year career, he was renowned for his iconic roles and brilliant performances. The actor once disclosed that he first rejected the famous part of the spitting professor in Main Hoon Na, calling it 'disgusting,' but Shah Rukh Khan and director Farah Khan persuaded him to accept it.

Satish Shah was the epitome of spontaneous humour. One of the most cherished aspects of Main Hoon Na (2004) is his portrayal of Professor Rasai, the quirky scholar. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, he once revealed that he initially found the character of a spitting professor 'disgusting.'

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Satish Shah said, "I thought, what a disgusting role! I wanted to play the principal, which Boman Irani did. Shah Rukh told me, 'Satish bhai, you’ve done many such roles before, and anyone can do them. I think you should do this one because we can’t imagine anyone else playing it."

Satish Shah added, "Woh aur Farah dono ne mil ke mujhe chane ke jhad pe chadha diya. That's how I ended up doing role, but it was not easy."

Satish Shah And Shah Rukh Khan Took 8 Takes

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Satish Shah disclosed that after taking a big drink of water and holding it in his mouth, he would emphasise specific words and syllables to make the water spray. 

Shah Rukh Khan simply couldn't maintain a straight face during the filming of those scenes, recalled the well-known actor. "Shah Rukh badme hass deta tha toh retake ho jata tha. Aise 8 retakes ek baar huye wo classroom me. Main fir bhadak gaya, maine kaha ki main iske baad nahi karunga and everyone is laughing, they are falling off the chair and I think it is there in one of the YouTube videos. Then I gave another shot and waha pe bhi usne hass diya tha so they had to insert Zayed Khan’s scene kyuki waha bhi usne hass diya tha. It was very difficult to keep a straight face and do these things but hota hai aisa sab," he shared. 

Satish Shah remembered that his character became so well-known for his odd habit of spitting during conversations that he started jokingly referring to himself as 'The Spitting Cobra.'