Shah Rukh Khan as Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Shah Rukh Khan didn’t want to play Raj Malhotra in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at first.
Throughout much of his career, Shah Rukh Khan was primarily known as a romantic hero, a reputation that solidified with Aditya Chopra’s iconic rom-com, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. In the Netflix documentary The Romantics, Aditya revealed SRK’s how SRK was initially hesitant about the film, as he aspired to be an action hero. Shah Rukh recalled how he expected an action role from Aditya after their successful collaboration in Darr with Yash Chopra.
Shah Rukh, on a lighter note, said that he felt Aditya had “fooled” him and transformed him into a lover! Aditya explained that he was searching for an “unpredictable romantic hero” given Shah Rukh’s recent roles in Darr and Baazigar. However, when he pitched DDLJ to the megastar, the actor was taken aback as he wasn’t expecting a love story. While Shah Rukh was hoping for an actioner, Adi presented him with a “really sweet, namby-pamby film.” When asked if he didn’t like the film, Shah Rukh said, “There was no like or dislike, it was just not the film that I wanted to hear.”
Aditya remembered being on the sets of Trimurti when an elderly woman approached Shah Rukh and complimented his work. However, she said she was disappointment over his constant action roles and the deaths of his characters in those films. Just fifteen minutes later, SRK and Aditya talked where Adi recalled telling him, “I’m feeling you are hesitant and you are not being able to say no to me. I would just advise you that don’t shut your doors on ever doing a love story because in this country a superstar will only be that person who will be every mother’s son, every sister’s brother, every college girl’s fantasy.” Aditya recalled that the next time they saw each other, Shah Rukh said yes.
