- By Ridhi Suri
- Wed, 01 May 2024 09:35 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sarfarosh, the 1999 action thriller film directed by John Matthew Matthan, stars Aamir Khan, Sonali Bendre, and Naseeruddin Shah in pivotal roles. The film follows the story of Ajay Singh Rathod (Khan), a young Indian Police Service officer determined to combat terrorism and cross-border insurgency. Highly acclaimed for its compelling storyline and memorable songs, the film significantly elevated Aamir's standing in the industry. Interestingly, the makers initially leaned towards casting Shah Rukh Khan for the lead role, but ultimately, the Dangal actor secured the part.
The decision marked a turning point in Aamir's career trajectory, solidifying his position as a prominent figure in Bollywood. In an interview with Indian Express, Sarfarosh director John Matthew Matthan revealed that initially, the makers were not inclined towards casting Aamir Khan for the film; instead, they preferred Shah Rukh Khan. However, the situation took a turn when Manmohan Shetty, the owner of Adlabs, who had already financed two films starring SRK-- Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and English Babu Desi Mem, urged John to cast SRK to save costs and strike a deal between them. John, however, firmly expressed that Shah Rukh Khan didn't fit the role and had someone else in mind for it.
"I met my friend Manmohan Shetty, who owned Adlabs, and told him that I want to make a film. Around this time, Shetty had started Entertainment One to produce feature films. He had funded two films of my friends, both of which starred Shah Rukh Khan. One was Vikram Mehrotra’s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, directed by Kundan Shah and the other was Praveen Nischol’s English Babu Desi Mem, both starring SRK. So at that time, all of them suggested I take Shah Rukh. I said, ‘Listen, I don’t think Shah Rukh suits my role. I don’t have him in my mind,’ but they said that we would be able to save more money as the three of us could get a deal, but I didn’t want to," he added.
John's inclination was towards casting Aamir Khan in the lead role. After watching a few scenes from the film Dil, which starred Aamir and Madhuri, John was impressed by the honesty reflected in Aamir's expressions and believed he would be a perfect fit for the character of Ajay in Sarfarosh. Another factor influencing John's decision was that, until then, Aamir had predominantly starred in romantic films. John felt that audiences would find it easier to relate to Aamir in a different genre, as he was relatively new to roles like the one in Sarfarosh. "Before Sarfarosh, Aamir was a different guy. He was doing only love stories. Nobody dared take him in an action film, whereas in his heart of hearts, he wanted to do films which were different, more realistic and that why he agreed to do my film. However, when he did my film, he had his apprehensions. He didn’t think it is a commercial film. I knew that the film wouldn’t create waves, but it would certainly create ripples. I wouldn’t put my money in a film if I knew the movie wouldn’t recover it. I didn’t know how much money I’d make, but I was confident that the film will recover its cost."