Shah Rukh Khan almost refused the film that made him an overnight star: ‘He had signed…’

When Raj Kanwar’s Deewana hit the theatres in 1992, it became an instant blockbuster and turned debutante Shah Rukh Khan into an overnight star. The movie also emerged as the second highest-grossing movie of 1992, just after Madhuri Dixit’s Beta. However, the journey to this success was anything but smooth.

Details of the film’s journey was recently shared by YouTube channel Stories By Shekhar.

The journey of the film can be traced back to producer Guddu Dhanoa, who was looking for a way to revive his career after incurring significant financial setbacks from his 1989 production, Gola Barood. Teaming up with his business associates, Lalit Kapoor and Raju Kothari, Dhanoa began searching for a promising project that could restore their standing in the industry.


During a trip to Chennai, the three watched the Tamil drama Vasantha Raagam and were impressed enough to acquire its remake rights for a Hindi adaptation. That decision ultimately led to the creation of Deewana, which went on to become a major success.

Interestingly, the original Tamil film had been directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar, while its production was overseen by Shoba Chandrasekhar. Both are the parents of actor-politician Vijay, adding an intriguing connection between the Tamil original and the Hindi blockbuster it later inspired.

Initially, Armaan Kohli was signed as the second male lead. Shooting was about to start with director SA Chandrasekhar backed out. The project was then offered to Raj Kanwar who worked as assistant director to Rakumar Santoshi on Ghayal.

Then came another setback. Kohli too exited the film following a fallout with the makers. SRK, who was a rising TV star was roped in to play the second lead after director Shekhar Kapur recommended his name to Dhanoa.

Khan initially was hesitant to do the film. However, his character Raja’s emotional depth and the unconventional subject of widow remarriage won him over.

In a twist of fate, although Shah Rukh Khan had already committed to five film projects before joining Deewana, it was this movie that became the first of his signed ventures to be released in cinemas. Arriving in theatres on June 25, 1992, the film went on to achieve tremendous commercial success and established itself as one of the highest-grossing releases of the year.