SRK was offered lead role in ‘1942: A Love Story’ that went to Anil Kapoor: Vidhu Vinod Chopra

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who garnered critical and commercial acclaim for his recent release '12th Fail', shared that Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was his first choice for his period film ‘1942: A Love Story.’

The film, which starred Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala, underwent several changes regarding its cast. SRK’s contemporary, Aamir Khan, had also revealed that he was offered the part but declined it because he didn’t like the script.

This story dates back to a time when SRK wasn’t the colossal star he is today.

Recently, while speaking at Kellogg School of Management, Vidhu said: “When I was making '1942: A Love Story', I had seen his work. Renu (Saluja, his then-wife) had edited a film called ‘Maya Memsaab.’ He had a small role. So I offered him the role. I was the first person to offer him a role. He wasn't a star then.”

Interestingly, SRK was also supposed to do ‘Munna Bhai MBBS,’ which marked the directorial debut of Rajkumar Hirani. However, SRK had to withdraw from the film due to his back surgery.

The two eventually collaborated on 'Dunki', the immigration drama released last year, which clashed with the box-office release of ‘Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire,’ starring Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.